Actions for Consequences
by WitherAway
Summary: Sequel to 'Voices for Words' ... "You can't love the dead B, well... maybe you can." Faith is gone, Buffy is gone in a different sense . When her world falls apart, who will be the one to put it back together? /Lameness
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing... as always. 'Buffy' is owned by a power greater than I, so ... take no offense!

**Notes:** After sometime of attempting to write, and totally losing my ... ambition? I dunno, it's taken me a little longer to spit this out. You might notice the chapter is quite a bit longer... forgive me, I'm trying something different. Typos and compositional errors are my own, I hate them, forgive them. This is the **sequel** to **Voices for Words**, you should read through that bugger before attempting this one... things _might_ make more sense. There was another thing I needed to mention but forgot it... it can't be that important. Oh and... I neglected to mention throughout the last story... the last story was _slightly_ Buffy/Faith ... this one may have more of that... (I'm trying to not be crass). The essence of a relationship is there. You'll see, but be **warned**! If you don't like two women having feelings for one another, and how can you not, skip this story.

**New Note:** I filled this all out this morning, got to work and realized... I forgot to explain what this bitch is about. It's hard to explain it right now, but... _someone _is gone, _someone _is crazy, and some others are having a rough go at the turn of events. _Someone_ has to piece the world back together... hopefully I can get it to work. WOooOoo...

Thanks for giving me (another) chance. Read. Review if you'd like... I'd appreciate it.

Chapter 1

_1. (3-5 days after Temperance's arrival)_

The halls were quiet now. Water could be heard dripping from a leaky faucet provided a noise that could drive a person insane, it was welcomed with open arms. The everyday noises that were normally forgotten, ignored, were suddenly noticed in the silence; the leaky faucet, heavy footsteps on the stone stairs, knifes and forks scraping across china, cussing, breathing... everything. Anything was better then the screaming.

The wind blew hard against the stones of the castle, shaking the trees, disturbing the windrows of grass. Several of the girls who had remained at the castle spent the morning pushing mowers, they needed to get out of the castle. Out of ear shot. They were still close, unlike the others who went 'camping' with Dawn and Andrew. Giles and Temperance resided in the library digging through piles of books, looking but never finding, coming close but ending up so far away.

"It's quiet..." Temperance spoke quietly.

"Yes. We should enjoy it." His voice was worn, tired, broken. His eyes drooped behind his glasses, _no sleep for the weary _he thought, but it wasn't like he could sleep anyways. _She_ had made it almost impossible to get more than a few hours of sleep every night. _It's not her fault._ The words bled together on the countless pages, all filled with scads of information pertaining to everything but what they were looking for. Her eyes however, were bright and aware, this sort of thing thrilled her even though she felt horribly guilty for getting pleasure from this situation. Her eyes travelled the countless pages easily, her mind storing the vast amounts of information and her heart telling her to go faster, faster or they might never find the answer.

"She's been quieter more... could that mean...?" She trailed off hoping he would be the rest.

"I pray that be true." He didn't take his eyes off the page.

_2. _

Kennedy and Willow walked the hallway, their shoes falling in rhythm, when the screaming stopped they exhaled sharply at the same time. Willow was pale, her eyes red and puffy, nose stuffy, the pockets of her hoodie crammed with tissues. Kennedy however, was stoic. Some, the one who had left, had bet she would laugh herself silly when _it_ had first occurred (she didn't) others thought she would have followed suit, considering her connection with Faith, but she didn't. Kennedy remained unaffected, at least to unknowing eyes.

"Ken, she stopped." Willow whispered, scared of setting it off.

"Yes." A quick answer.

"She might be getting better..."

"No." Kennedy stopped walking, holding Willow back. They looked at the hallway, their soft voices did not echo, they were not loud. "She isn't getting better..."

"How can you say that?"

"How can you not believe it?"

"Baby... come on, listen." Willow was speaking softly, no one had been sleeping well the last few nights.

"No. I _know_. She's driving herself crazy."

"You can't be serious..." Willow was being irrational.

"How can you not see it! When she isn't screaming, she lies there speaking, talking in gibberish, calling out for _her_. She's going crazy... I don't know why... Guilt doesn't do shit like this, does it? I'm pretty sure the vamp didn't do this... who the fuck knows." She is trying to be rational, but it doesn't work well anymore. The Slayers can feel the disorder in their minds, feel her struggle in their souls... it hurts them more then anyone knows.

"I know." Willow tries to understand, but all she knows is that deep down, Buffy has her reasons.

"You don't know! How can you!" A breath. "Your best friend... she's slowly unravelling and you are dealing with it... but she's _just_ your friend, best friend. But you can't understand what _we _are going through. We lost both leaders. We lost Faith. We lost Buffy. I don't know what to do, Willow. I don't know... how do I fix this?"Kennedy broke into pieces, losing herself in a way she hoped to avoid. She was supposed to maintain the order now, who else? A dead Slayer? A broken Slayer? No, a young slayer, tested hard in war, able to fight and slay, easy to rely on. She lead her own squad... half-a-dozen girls can't compare. It falls on Kennedy. _Buffy... you goddamn bitch..._ She thought, meaning very little of it.

"Kennedy..." Willow's voice was soothing. _Come on baby._

"No," Kennedy pulled it together. "can't you see? When Buffy isn't sleeping... isn't screaming... she's attacking us. We need to do _something_."

"We aren't killing Buffy." Willow's tone was of a joking nature, there were no laughs though. Just a look of a young woman who'd been given shoes to fill that were twice her regular size.

"I... I didn't... Baby, I don't want her dead..." Kennedy rolled her eyes. "That wouldn't help."

Willow took her hands and held them softly, running the pads of her thumbs in tiny circles on Kennedy's hand. The castle remains quiet for the time being, allowing the two some more words.

"Giles and Temperance are looking for... a cause."

"Yeah, I don't think they've gotten more than five hours of sleep between them in the last couple days..." Willow nodded in agreement. There was a tone to Kennedy's voice that suggested she had a plan, and one that wasn't good at all.

"Kennedy?"

"I think she needs to fight this... rather than us." Willow crossed her arms, not liking where the conversation was headed. "What can you do you for her...?" The question was small, but asked so much.

"I've done all I-" Kennedy shook her head.

"No Will, what can _you_ do." Kennedy didn't look her girlfriend in the eyes, she focused on a spot on the floor, _can't be strong with you ..._Willow knew that.

"I'll need to talk to Giles... but, I'm sure we can come up with something. You Slayers... sure are ... subtle." Her choice in words caused Kennedy to look at her with a look of confusion. Brow furrowed, a funny little smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. Willow reached for her hand again, their fingers touched and the screaming began again.

"Giles is in the library... we should go." Kennedy turned and started her walk to the stairs. Her posture was weak, head dropped, hands shoved into her pockets, her footsteps sounded heavy. Willow sighed, _this _depression_ seems to be going around... _She caught up to her girlfriend, looped an arm through Kennedy's and they walked as one.

_3._

Xander sat at the side of the bed Buffy was bound to, leather straps around her legs, over mitts on her hands (which were also strapped down). Half-a-dozen black eyes and a multitude of scratches had taught (showed) them all a lesson. Crazy slayers... need to be restrained.

Buffy had fallen into silence now, but her words still hung in his mind, pure gibberish. 'Twenty lemons... potato cream pie... john in the well... Faith!' Only one word that he could make sense of... _Faith._ Only one word that he could understand why she was saying it... _Faith._

He sat with his head resting on his hands, he had only left her side for bathroom and lunch breaks, there was always someone to remain at her side though. They had been documenting what she had been saying, so far there was no 'secret code' to crack. She had been quiet for the first while, after Temperance had showed up... after Giles had shown her the knife... after Xander had lost his cool. She would sleep... then she would scream... and struggle...

"Buffy..." He whispered softly. "What'd you do...?" _Quiet. I will have to be quiet. _He thought. _But how the hell can I... this is my fault..._

_4. (about... 12 hrs after Buffy and Faith's encounter)_

Kennedy was in the hall outside the infirmary, talking to Willow who was freaking out. Xander was dealing with the other slayers who were also freaking out. Dawn was at Buffy's bedside. Giles, unknown to everyone, was talking to an old friend at the gate of the grounds.

--

"Look, Willow... she's alright. I got to her in time. That vamp only got a sip." Kennedy was trying not to be crass, _why should I be nice when _she_ almost got herself killed._

"I know... it's just..."

"Just nothing, she'll be awake soon. She'll have to address the troops." Kennedy forced a grin and Willow sighed. "You want to go see her?"

"Not yet... let's let the anger fade a bit more. I might smother her with a pillow for being so careless." Willow's calm was slowly returning. The castle was eerily quiet... the people who were still awake were still in shock. They had lost their leaders enough this year. There was a moment of silence between the two, a moment of reflection.

They had just gone out slaying, when they should have been looking, searching, for Faith, for their leader. The leader that didn't desert them for no good reason. Buffy had walked away from the group, walked away toward some stones. The vampire just latched on and Buffy did nothing, Kennedy got there with time to spare but Buffy took it hard. Kennedy had cursed and yelled the whole drive back, speeding and only almost crashing once, she continued to curse and yell while carrying Buffy to the infirmary. Kennedy got over the pure anger when Buffy didn't immediately wake up.

_We need to find Faith..._ Kennedy thought.

"Where did Giles go, Ken?" Willow broke the silence, Kennedy shrugged.

--

"Buffy's jacket smells kinda like..." Andrew took a long sniff. "Cigarettes. Buffy doesn't smoke, does she? Oh! Maybe she has like an alter ego or... another personality sorta like this woman in this book I read... and she can't remember the other one. That could account for... the uh, sudden ... mood ... changes." Andrew quit talking as he received a glare from Dawn. "The first thing Buffy needs to hear when she..." Dawn yelled the next part. "wakes up! Is not your rambling about Star Trek or comic books..." Dawn looked back at her sister, who was slowly regaining her colour.

"It's not Trek.. or a comic..." He bounced off the stool he was sitting on. "How's her neck?"

The bite mark on Buffy's neck was fading, the vamp had only gotten a taste before Kennedy dusted him. Buffy however did not recover immediately. She had been sleeping for twelve hours. Every so often the girls would need reassurance that their 'fearless leader' was alright, Xander had volunteered. Dawn felt bad for him. _He really needs to stop moping, it's not like Faith is dead... and I thought he didn't even like her..._

"He does." Dawn gasped. Andrew laughed. "You murmur under your breath. Internal monologues should be left inside." Xander was... destroyed for a long time after Anya died, he was just getting past it, hoping to move on when Buffy left and tanked his progress. Buffy hurt a lot of people when she left. Faith, after her adventure into the depressive side of drunkenness, took it upon herself to bring Xander out of his funk. It worked.

"What did you mean?" She whispered.

"I don't want to gossip." He smiled as Dawn rolled her eyes. "Word on the street is..." She slapped him hard.

"Never say that again!"

"Ow... fine. Rumour has it that Faith and Xander had hit a pleasant stride in their friendship. Which is sure sucky for me... Faith's knowledge of comics and science fiction is... impressive." He muttered.

"Seems like everyone likes Faith." Dawn tried really hard to sound angry... misleading, in case Buffy was listening. _Sorry Faith._ Truth was, she liked Faith just as much as everyone else, maybe more, they had a bonding conversation over a bottle of whiskey a few days after Buffy left. Dawn had cried when Faith had come back bloodied and broken that night no one talks about. _I didn't cry when Buffy came back all bloody..._

"Dawn?" Her train of thought was derailed by Andrew and a simple question. "Where'd Mr. Giles go?" Dawn shrugged.

--

"Temperance. What an unexpected surprise." Giles spoke through the gate. "Is everything alright?"

"No Mr. Giles."

"Rupert, please." He swung the gate open, the light from the moon caught on her face. "My dear... what's happened?" Bruises covered her face and neck. _Sup, I'm Faith..._ Faith was in her mind. Faith, the troubled young woman, the one from the letter (the letter that had been left on the desk in her bedroom). Faith, who had found redemption and peace is jail, a most unlikely place, with the help of a vampire, an unlikely saviour. Faith, who had given up her life to save the innocent people of the world, and one slayer.

"Faith..." Was the only word to come to her mouth, so many more wanted to follow but got caught in her mind. Giles' face froze. _Faith did this?_ He thought. _I've set a monster loose._

Temperance's hand, bandaged and swollen, moved gently to the bag hanging off her shoulder. Giles recognized it. Her hand moved to the zipper, the click-click-click seemed to go on for minutes. An object, long and narrow, leather bound and worn, a chip on the blade... Faith's knife.

"Where is... Buffy?" Temperance broke his gaze.

"I'll take you. But please... tell me now. Where is Faith?" She nodded and explained as much as she knew. His head dropped, glasses in hand as he held back the tears she wouldn't want him to shed.

--

Xander was waiting outside the infirmary with Kennedy, Willow had gone in when Dawn shrieked. Buffy had awoken. _Someone's here_ she thought. Xander was standing still, head bowed, fists clenched; Kennedy leaned across from the door.

"In there. Now." Giles said sharply as he appeared from around the bend, the two shrugged and followed him and the stranger through the door. Neither of them noticing the duffel bag on the stranger's shoulder or knife in Giles' hand. Buffy was standing now, stretching a kink in her back. Willow looked at Giles, then at Kennedy, who shrugged.

"Mr. Giles!" Andrew exclaimed. "That's a pretty knife."

_Knife..._ Buffy thought. She turned around, all she saw was rage in Rupert Giles' eyes.

"You foolish _girl_!" He spoke loudly, not quite yelling. He never yelled. He rarely got angry.

"Giles." She looked at the strange woman beside him. "Who's this?"

Temperance answered, fearing another outburst from the normally calm man. "Temperance Kane. You are... Buffy?" Temperance tipped her head to the side slightly.

"Yes..."She ignored Temperance. "Giles, why are you so angry?" Buffy pleaded now, her head was throbbing, her heart was racing. Kennedy's eyes had fallen to the duffel bag on Temperance's side, she stumbled back, hands at her mouth. Willow had noticed the knife in Giles' hand, noticed the chip on the blade from that night... _oh no_ she thought. Willow fell to her knees.

Temperance reached for Faith's knife, Dawn and Andrew stood confused. Xander grew more angry. She handed Faith's knife to Buffy with two hands, as if offering a gift... fulfilling her promise. Buffy took the knife just as gently as it was offered, and asked softly. "Why do you have Faith's knife...?" '_B. Buffy, why'd you take my jacket?' _Faith's words ran through her mind as she spoke her own, she spoke like a child. 'I didn't break the cup mommy, it was like that when I got here...' "Why do you-" She was interrupted by Giles, who spoke more calmly this time.

"Temperance has Faith's knife... because Faith gave it to her before she died, ridding this world from evil. From a man... a demon... named Cammoro. Does it sound familiar?" He didn't look at her.

"Buffy." Xander spoke almost monotonously. "What did you do?" Willow and Kennedy remained frozen in shock on the ground, Dawn clutched her shirt, Andrew (thankfully) remained silent. It was Xander who... after weeks of saying less than four words to her at a time, let loose. "Buffy!" He took the knife from her hand and held it as if it were sacred. "You killed her... you got her killed."

"I didn't..." _What am I going to say_ she thought.

"You sent her away! You made her leave!" He was close now, eyes full of tears, a hand gripping her shoulder roughly.

"No... she left..."

"You set the slayers on her! They were going to kill her on your orders!"

_I have a serious question for you __B._ Faith's voice invaded her mind, memories were being unleashed, words, hateful words, were being remembered.

"Don't fuck on the first date."

"You killed- what?" Xander changed his tone mid-sentence.

"Where's Kennedy?" Buffy yelled, hitting Xander hard on the chest with open palms. It bruises. Kennedy dares not say anything.

"Faith... Faith... I have your jacket." She speaks without knowing what to say. Andrew says 'oh...' as the smell of her jacket makes sense. _What have I done,_ Buffy thinks. Her eyes close.

"Buffy... it's... it'll be alright." Giles lies but lies slowly, calmly. Buffy reaches out with her mind. Faith had told her _'__Ain't me. This is all you, always is.'_ so Buffy tries to bring _it _back, the dreams. She imagines that she is in her room, in front of her open doors, wind blowing loudly. She imagines that she is falling, Faith is supposed to catch her now... Faith always brought her back, always.

Buffy imagined she was back in Sunnydale, in a graveyard they had patrolled so often, she could smell Faith's cigarettes, her rough soap. She was oblivious to the people shouting her name. Faith was supposed to be here... this was the part when... _Faith?_

The world spun beneath her feet, she was remembering more. Buffy was on the ground, there was a shivering body in her gasp, across her legs. Her hand was wiping away blood.

"Silly Faith..." She said. "Why'd you go and do that, huh?" A question to which she had no answer, Faith's eyes are so beautiful. When Buffy notices, the blood stops flowing and it's just her there. Stuck in her mind, a lost soul lying on her legs. Buffy closes Faith's eyes but still holds on tight. The white is coming for her. The white strikes fast.

"Buffy!" Xander slaps her hard across the face. Nothing.

"Buffy!" Willow cries out. Nothing.

"B!" Kennedy tries in desperation. Nothing.

Dawn has left the room with Andrew and Temperance, they went to the library. Giles looks at the knife on the floor. It really was a nice knife.

_5. (just after Will and Ken ask Giles about a sedative for Buffy)_

Xander keeps his head and shoulders down as the door to Buffy's room gently swings open. They had moved her in case a familiar setting would help; It didn't. Willow walked in, her eyes were red, not quite bloodshot.

"Will..." He started.

"Shh..." Her hand rested in his back. She was still silent, they had to try not to wake her. Buffy looked absolutely peaceful, until you looked down her body... then she looked insane.

_She is insane._ Willow thought, the vial in her hand. _Just a drop... and she'll be able to deal with it._

"Xander," She whispered in his ear. "go get something to eat." He nodded stiffly, his eyes were tired. _I wish An was here_ he thought, not showing how much he missed her. The door latched a little loudly and Buffy awoke.

Her eyes were wide, no longer hazel but much lighter... everything about her was lighter... as if she was fading away.

"Buffy?"

"Purple takes the canoe to the store?" She whimpers. "Al is used up..." Willow writes the nonsense in the notebook on the nightstand.

"If you are trying to send a message... we don't get it." Willow sighed. The clouds were getting thin again, rain had been blowing through, sun would be a nice change. "I hope... this is just a guilt thing, but just know... no one blames you, or hates you. The universe works in strange mysterious ways... it just seems odd that Faith would-"

With the mention of Faith, Willow's rant came to an abrupt halt. Fading-Buffy took a break, and crazy-psycho-screaming-Buffy took over. Her scream was deep, guttural, like a moan or an extended grunt... but more soul shattering. Willow (no one) knew how her vocal cords were able to handle it. Her noise reverberated throughout the castle, snaking though the long hallways finding every crevice ... every silent spot.

The castle was empty. The younger, newer slayers had gone with Andrew and Dawn, they went North to set a camp, to get away from the... noise. Being around the castle was maddening to the girls, when they could get to sleep they were plagued with shattered dreams, glimpses of Faith's struggle with Cammoro and vivid images of Buffy's decent into madness. They decided that they would have to leave, but Kennedy asked them not to go far.

Willow had asked Giles about a sedative, he had pondered it. While weighing the consequences Temperance managed to locate the appropriate spell book in Giles' messy collection. He flipped through it and told her to try "this one."

"Giles, that's not a-" Willow read it.

"I know perfectly well what it is." Kennedy read over her shoulder, eyes wide in excitement rather than horror.

"How do we know that's the problem?"

"We don't. But, if we are right it would fix her... if we're wrong... there's no consequences here." He said, there was no excitement in his voice. His eyes travelled back down to where he left off.

"Okay..."

Kennedy walked into the room and sighed heavily, she dropped her eyes to Willow's hand. "We ready?"

"She brought 'Al' up again... do we know an Al?" Willow was starting to babble. _We should wait. _"She could still wake up. Look, her colour is back. The notes... look Ken. Purple again, if we just wait. We should... just wait."

"Willow look, listen." Talking over Buffy wasn't a chore, it was a challenge. Keeping your thoughts your own was the challenge. Kennedy was able to hear 'Faith' being called out over and over in her mind. "We need this to stop, so we can help her. Remember?"

"Yes..." Buffy was bound to the bed, but making a solid effort to escape. "You're right..." Willow took the rubber stopper out of the vial, inserted the dropper. Buffy thrashed wildly as Willow's hand drew close. A drop fell cleanly and landed on her tongue. The effects took place immediately, her muscles relaxed, the scream left the castle but only one word escaped the potion.Door_. _Her eyes closed, her breathing slowed but held strong.

"We'll help Giles. Okay Willow?" Kennedy a strength return to her, inner calmness replaced.

"I..."

"You stay then... See you later." Kennedy didn't want to leave Willow alone, but she didn't want to stay in the same room with Buffy anymore. Willow nodded in response.

_Everything will be okay._ They both thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer****:** Who ever owns Buffy owns ... well, Buffy. I try not to infringe... sorry.

**AN:** Long and very overdue. Many apologies. I had a really busy summer, far away from any sort of technology... pens and paper was what I had at my disposal... which I never touched. I also got stuck with a minor case of ... writers block ... it's been almost resolved. Below is a teaser, I have a lot more written but I need to revise and try to figure out where to take this. I haven't forgotten, I need that voice back because I want to feel okay with how I write. The setup of the chapters will change, and you patient reader could see a new update as soon as next week... or as late as ...

**New AN:** Alright, here is the new update, as promised. And, for the record I meant fall. I had a really busy fall. I do not know if this will be adequate, or even expected. If you are unhappy (or tired) of the tone that I have taken with this shit I apologize. If you are unhappy (or tired) with the strange location of the point of view, then I really apologize. It is not my intent to confuse any of you, this is just the way I can get this shit out of my head. I guess I need to explain a couple things. This was (before I got dumb) supposed to be 4 chapters, but very long chapters. The same style as the first one. That will not occur since I am unable to write that fast, or even remember where this was supposed to go (I think I got it now). Secondly, and lastly, an explanation is coming (as to Buffy and her crazy ass attitude). I just, could not get into writing her character in _Voices_, so I made her mean and angry and psycho (because I like that lol) but now I realized (with the help of a reviewer, I think) that, that was not good enough. So if you can suffer through the psychotic-ness of what is going to happen in the next few chapters... thank you. I hope it gets much, much better (as there is no excuse for it to be so, so bad). Read, and do not be afraid to tell me what you really think.

_1_

When the woman who had called herself 'Temperance' had handed a knife to the young woman named 'Buffy' a tremor rand through time, and the Powers that Be took notice once again. With disgust they set out to solve the problem that had been placed in their hands, yet again. A problem that they had been unable to solve using any of their normal 'high grade' plans.

Two events were inspected closely, the events preceding the two directly were not altered, the outcomes however, were altered. A death undone and two brought into the fold (they had been a radical plan that was in place... but was never to be used).

"This should do nicely." A voice, spoken to no one from no where, rang out in a place that didn't exist.

_2_

The air was cool, a gentle breeze ran over her face, her body, all around. The grass tickled her bare arms, and then something crawly (ants) tickled her bare feet.

"Oh, my gosh!" Buffy let out a girly shriek and ran her hands over her legs. This was not a very slayerish thing to do. She let out a sigh and laid back on the ground. Her smile was subconscious, but she was genuinely happy, and quite pleased with herself.

"Time to go away ants, all is good. Except you..." She closed her eyes and tried to relax.

The woman was lying to herself, all was not good. The world around her was slowly turning to chaos. Grass was becoming overgrown (which wasn't bad except the overgrowth was purple), trees grew crooked, clouds hung still in the sky even when the wind blew hard. There was no logic here anymore, there was no one to notice it anyways.

Buffy, the one and only, was alone (for now) in her fantastical world of crooked trees and purple grass, and she saw just as normally as any other thing: green grass, lush trees. Her world, in her eyes, was fantastic. _Fan-fucking-tastic._ A word Faith had uttered upon seeing who she would be sitting beside: a mother and her screaming boy. Buffy had been more than thrilled to sit beside the newlyweds, until their 3rd trip to the bathroom... _Economy class can fuck off and die..._ they both though. The first time the two lovers had snuck off, Faith looked at Buffy and winked. Buffy looked shocked, which evoked a large laugh from Faith, and a wail from the child next to her. She didn't know how Faith could keep her cool with such an annoying child beside her. The second time Faith uttered 'fan-fucking-tastic' was when she saw the castle, the tone was not good.

"Go away Faith. You are not wanted here." Memories of the dark slayer would pop in every now and then, her voice was more frequent though. Buffy ignored her, as she usually did, Buffy really just ignored everything. A crack in the earth could open beside her, let loose a herd of hell-beasts and Buffy would only comment on how the clouds looked like puppy dogs.

"I'm _needed _here, Buffy." Faith spoke again as she invaded Buffy's fantastical world. There was a consistency to her voice that suggested: wake the fuck up Blondie.

"I'm ignoring you!" Buffy said with a huge smile, a Blondie song now stuck in her head. _'__In between what I find is pleasing and I'm feeling fine, Love is __so confusing, there's no peace of mind' _

"Can't ignore me forever. I always come back." Faith spoke very calmly, and very closely. Faith, dressed in a blood soaked tank top and filthy jeans, was standing at Buffy's feet. They were both barefoot.

"La-la-la..." Buffy sang (horribly) with fingers stuck in her ears. "I can't hear you." Faith stood with a confused look on her face, eyebrows raised, lips slightly parted.

"What are you, B, five?" Faith's tone was sultry... smooth like a shot of ice cold Jack Daniels.

Buffy continued her childishness, so did Faith, but in a different way. Neither of them seemed to notice how wrecked Faith looked, faded cuts and bruises on her arms, her hair looked singed, the fact that she was barefoot, a clean slice down her arms that lined up with the one on her abdomen, they all seemed to remain... hidden from view.

Faith rested her head in her hands as Buffy belted out an extremely bad version of _Heart of Glass_, if there had been birds they would have flown away, dogs would have been howling. Faith then noticed the surroundings. She was standing barefoot in the field she had died in, listening to a dumb blonde singing Blondie songs. The field was burnt to the tree line.

"B..." Burnt swords, spears and axes littered the ground. _I did this._ Faith had slayed them all, with the help of a traitor turned good guy. "Buffy!" Faith kicked Buffy's foot very roughly.

"What ever is it that you need so badly, Faith?" After being interrupted from her solo, Buffy was definitely in a fowler mood.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Faith's voice was low, whispering.

"This place is nice. Trees, grass, no one to _bother_ me."

"If you think this is nice, you have a twisted view of reality." Faith spoke quietly, she sounded small, afraid... cautious. Buffy sighed and got to her feet.

"You win, I'm up." Buffy turned her torso to check out her ass, to see if it was covered in dry grass or dirt. It wasn't. She turned back to Faith who had disappeared. _No... just moved._ _Who's the other dude...oh, hey! Shaman Cam!_

One-hundred feet from where Buffy was standing, Faith and Cammoro where having it out.

"You fuckin' stabbed me in the back!" She yelled, Buffy didn't catch the rest of it. She had neglected to remember that Cam was the bad guy, her opinion of him was still of the good. Shaman Cammoro, to observers, was tall and wiry, Faith wished she could break him over her knee... he wasn't _that _tiny. His hair was short-cropped, which allowed for his grey eyes to appear even duller. He was the sort of man you could never accurately describe, as his visuals left your mind the moment your eyes left him. Observers would not see an evil man, soon-to-be-god, who was attempting to kill the only slayer who knew of his plans, and the only slayer who could potentially stop him. Buffy saw him as the man who had provided her, Cruz and Nora shelter, food and water. He had healed Nora after their battle and had given Cruz the answers to his problems. He was nice and when he had asked about Faith, Buffy hadn't thought twice about telling him whatever he wanted to know.

While Buffy was stuck in a memory, Faith had run Cammoro through with a very pretty broadsword.

_I didn't know she had a broadsword. _Buffy thought as reality sunk in, Faith had killed a man... again. "Faith!" She screamed, but Faith was unable (unwilling) to hear Buffy. The sword's tip poked through the back of his cloak, they were moving together, faster toward the... fire. Buffy looked around, evidence of battle... swords and weapons lying haphazardly. The sky was dark, it was night.

The two had come to a quick stop before Buffy could think of something to say, Faith ripped the sword from his chest and shoved him hard, back into the fire. Buffy was moving, as quick as she could, fuelled by rage and hate, Faith had killed,"_a man ... a demon... named Cammoro. Does it sound familiar?" _a demon! Faith hit the ground hard on her knees, her white shirt was a muddy red. For a moment there was no movement, then a wobble and finally a connection was made. She fell back, her feet (thankfully) popped out in front of her... her back and shoulders hit first, then her head and her hands fell open, slightly curled. There was no attempt from Faith to grab the sword, and clutch the grass.

A pop, or crackle made Buffy slow as she neared Faith's body. A louder pop, and a hiss. It was coming from the fire. Black smoke began to billow, a spark flew out and hit the ground. _Trap?_ Buffy thought.

Another spark, then two, three, five, more and more came into contact with the ground. Each spark set a small fire, those small joined together creating larger fires. The sparks kept flying, the ground kept burning...the distance between Faith and Buffy had become a wall of fire. Faith was no longer visible.

Acid churned in Buffy's stomach, bile started an ascent..._No! _She turned and ran, ran through grass that wasn't burning yet, ran toward the trees. To any observer the woman running was not blonde, she wasn't short, she was carrying a knife... there would have been no rage in her heart, only fear and Faith. There would be one name in her mind, Buffy. To any observer, they would be able to see a path clearing to Faith's body. They would be able to see two smoking figures who looked like American firefighters rushing toward Faith, covering her body in steaming blankets, removing her from the fire. The Powers that Be watched, only to devise new plans if this one should also fail.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Zip. Those who own Buffy, do so greatly... I don't. Hopefully that suffices.

**AN:** Okay... To recap (since some might need it after that last doozy of a chapter). Buffy just got to see Faith die, through the eyes of my cute little 2-D character Temperance. The 'firefighters' get explained later. Be patient please. Uhm... yeah, that should be okay for a recap. Now on to the fun stuff. I've revised these two mini-chapters as best as I can. Seriously, I hope it makes sense... because it does to me (kinda) and there's no other way for me to get this out... and now that I've started I really have to finish. If I'm lucky this shitty story will be done by X-mas. I still have to figure out Faith again. No rush I guess.

Thank you all who read this, it means alot to me. Thank you to those who review this, good or bad, I enjoy them all. Thank you American's for electing Mr. Obama... and shame on you people from California... taking away rights. For shame. Anyways. Sorry. Hopefully your attitude towards me has not changed with that. I'm leaving for a little while... so if I feel generous I'll post my favourite chapter tomorrow or Sunday. If not... it'll be up in a week.

_3._

Buffy was walking through the trees, still able to smell the smoke but no longer able to see the fire. There was no point in going back, she couldn't, her mind wouldn't let her. This had already happened, nothing would be accomplished if she turned around now, Faith was... gone.

"I can't do anything. She's already dead..." She kept trying to convince herself. There was no grand paradox in Buffy's mind, Faith was dead. That's what had been shared with her, the only troubling thing was that Faith kept showing up. Not quite a ghost, not quite a memory. There but gone. Buffy's heart told her to grieve, to allow herself that much, but her mind wouldn't let her. Her heart was being stubborn, her mind was being cold. The two came together in conflict, creating Faith, creating _something_ that she could work her way through as opposed hiding from it. Or maybe it was just the work of the Powers.

Buffy's feet were sore, the rocky ground was uncomfortable with bare feet, she kept moving anyways. The trees were spaced evenly which allowed for easy travel. Travel to the South. There were no animals making noise, at night you could expect some bugs... or maybe even an owl or bats, to make some noise... or even _move_. There was nothing.

"Once I had a love and it was divine..." Buffy sung quietly, back ground music kicked in from no where and she sighed, it was like living in a fucking musical. She kept her mind on the tune, trying to figure out the next line, running it over and over in her head...

"Soon found out I was losing my mind." Faith spoke the lyrics, she never sang. "That's pretty fitting B." She laughed. Buffy screamed and covered her eyes.

"Ah! Zombie!" Her eyes remained shut. _Dead burn victim... this is something no one needs to see._

Faith seemed to ignore Buffy's statement, she only offered an annoyed chuckle. "What are you doing out here B? We still got shit to move."

"What?" Buffy's hands still covered her eyes.

"B," She laughed, Faith had an infectious laugh when she wasn't plotting your demise, when she was relaxed and cool. In general, Faith was one cool chick to hang around with... as long as you didn't get on her bad side. "have you lost your mind? Giles'll be angry at me if you skip out on unpacking his books. Willow's witchy friends..."

"The _Coven_." Buffy corrected without consent.

"Yeah, _them_, they were happy to help move the shit... now we gotta do our part."

"Look at you, allhelper-girl." Buffy sounded condescending but she didn't mean it. She hadn't grown used to the 'new' Faith; Faith had done a lot of growing up the night Buffy made her choose. This particular Faith, wasn't real though... the real Faith was dead. These events had already occurred, Buffy was just... in a state of reexamination.

"Don't you have a question for me Faith?" Buffy peaked through her fingers, Faith's clothes were perfect. Jeans, a red T-shirt, her favourite leather jacket. Buffy's eyes travelled up, a cigarette was the only thing burning on Faith. She was looking good, no blood, mud, burns or anything out of the ordinary.

Faith just stood there.

"Come on B, time's a wasting." She smiled and tapped the ash off her cigarette. She turned in what seemed to be slow motion, her hair which hadn't quite gotten used to the weird Scottish air and the castles hard water, bounced only slightly, her jacket waved, cut through the air cleanly, easily. Faith's smile stuck in her mind now. Buffy had spoken with strong condescension, and that showed now.

"It seemed like the real thing but I was so blind..." Buffy spoke quietly. Faith walked into the flames which had appeared to no surprise of Buffy. The smile had drawn attention from the pain in Faith's eyes, something that wasn't noticed before.

_Wait... _Buffy thought as things changed.

_4._

"She's awake." A man's voice rang out, he sounded stuffy, or maybe just British.

"Buffy, are you alright?"

"What kinda question is that Willow!" Xander demanded.

"I-I thought... a g-good one..."

"She'll be okay. We'll all be okay now."

Buffy opened her eyes. _Now what,_ she thought. She tried to sit up, pain ran across her forehead. A memory flashed, Faith and a tire iron. Hands were immediately on her back, steadying her, helping her to a sitting position.

"Buffy?" Willow asked. Buffy looked at her hands, her knuckles were cracked, black and bloody. The palms of her hands... smeared with drying blood. Her left arm had been bound quickly... the bandage was bloody. Faith and a knife flashed in her mind.

"What... what happened?" She asked cautiously.

"You were right Buffy. Faith was not to be trusted..." Giles spoke without emotion, Willow looked strangely uneasy, and Xander was as blank as Giles. They all had trusted Faith, they all had held her in the highest regard when Buffy left... they had all placed their trust in her hands... and they were all betrayed. _Thank the powers for Buffy_, they each thought in their own way.

"What? I don't... remember..."

"You did what you needed to do. You confronted, we attempted to talk to her, but evil has a strange way about it. It's always lurking beneath the surface. You did what was necessary Buffy..." Giles' words were strong, comforting... but also lies. Their trust had been safe in Faith's hands, they had every right to believe her when she said she was good, that she wouldn't leave them, this ... place ... was in error.

"No." She said weakly. "Faith wouldn't... she saved the world. She killed bad guys. She wouldn't turn on..." _Me? Us?__ But I did..._

"She did when you said you'd help her." The look of disgust in Faith's face flashed in Buffy's mind, her voice _uYou? Help me? B, you can't even help yourself' _played over and over.

"I killed her?" No one made eye contact with Buffy as she asked a very simple question. Yes, or no, that was all that was needed to be said... the answer she was given was more convoluted.

"You removed an evil, you slayed. You do what you need to. Faith was evil. Don't feel bad for ridding this world of a girl who wouldn't hesitate to kill you and all you love." Giles spoke softly, he (in his own mind) was being completely rational. A silent voice in Buffy's head, a silent conscience, kept reminding her to question what was happening, to find rationality where none existed.

"Do you believe that, B?"

"Faith... you're dead." Buffy spoke aloud to the voice in her mind, no one in the room moved... and no one in the room spoke.

"I asked you a question B, a pretty serious one."

"I don't." Buffy whispered.

"Turn around and tell me." Buffy turned, Faith was standing there, bloodied and broken; how she had been left in the field.

"You're hurt..." She reached out and gently touched a wound on Faith's arm... where something sharp had found its way across. After hearing about how 'evil' Faith was, it didn't matter. Buffy had watched the woman die, die saving a piece of the world, and definitely stopping some big evil. Buffy knew that there was strength and good in Faith. The onlookers saw Buffy reaching out to air. Buffy saw that Faith let her get near.

"That happens when I fight." She laughed even though there was nothing funny about it, she laughed because it was true. Whenever she fought, someone always ended up hurt... whether it was emotionally or physically.

"What's going on Faith? Why does..."

"Can't help you _find_ the answers B. I'm not really here, just... a piece of you that you refuse to listen to." She smiled. "Wait for it Blondie and when the time comes... don't be afraid to try something different."

"What does that _mean_ Faith?" Faith ignored her, the words were lost to the air. "Guys?" Buffy turned around and found she was alone... there was nothing. No gurneys, no shelves, no books... no walls, no trees, no dirt. Just white. And it had her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this, that or anything else you think of. I most defintely don't own anything to do with these characters, honest.

**AN:** Alright, look at this. A brand, spanking new chapter. No wait... two mini-chapters! Holy, today must have been a good day. I looked things over and realized that I couldn't leave you hanging after 5. 6, however, will (should) explain a whole shit pile of things about wacky behaviour. If it doesn't... leave a note in the comments and I will explain it in my next AN, or ... do a rewrite, or add a chapter. I'll make it work. So what else... the last two mini-chapters (_3_ and_ 4_, for those who don't understand my nonsense) seemed to go over pretty well, not to much confusion. I do apologize for any typos, and or other grammatical errors. I can't stand them either.

I hope you enjoy these next two things, they were awful fun to write. Oh right. **Warning:** In 5 there is ... an implied relationship between ... my two major characters. I don't want to spoil anything so read on at your own risk! Haha... it's just an implied relationship. Don't freak out. Please. **End Warning.** Read on, and review if you would be so kind. **PS:** Don't expect another post until Nov.17, give or take a few days. I have finished Buffy's adventures (soon) but there are plenty more to come, I just have to write them.

_5._

The room was dark, warm, but mostly dark. There were no voices, there was no music. _Wait..._ Buffy thought but didn't know why. Her eyes open to the darkness but her mind wasn't quite there. The trace of a conversation was slowly getting lost in Buffy's mind, _wait... wait what? _She repeated the word to herself a few more times before realizing that in this dark, warm but mostly dark room, she was not alone.

There was no glow from under a door, no shuddering drapes from an improperly sealed window. There was just a slow breath, that had a slight whistle to it, from a person (thing) beside her. Buffy remained still, slowed her breathing and tried to maintain her heartbeat. Her finger tips ran slow circles on the surface they were touching. _Silk?_ They ran smoothly over silk bedsheets, they found their way to an edge. _Bed?_ Questions of a different nature flooded her mind. She turned her head slowly to the side, squinting tightly to try see through the darkness... to see the _thing_.

The arm that casually fell across Buffy's midsection brought an end to what little calmness she had left. A scream left her throat and her hands quickly went to work at removing the invasive arm.

"Jesus, B..." A scratchy voice came through the darkness. Faith was tired and it reflected in her voice. "Bad dream?" Buffy remained silent from the floor, where she had landed. Faith chuckled in the silence.

"Ain't no monsters under there B, you made me check."

"What?"

A faint glow lit the room, Buffy shielded her eyes as if the sun had burst through the windows, Faith groaned. "It's three in the morning." Faith had only been asleep for an hour. They had patrolled that night, they all had patrolled that night. Faith thought it was a bad night for patrolling, Buffy thought it would be fine. One of them had almost died.

"Kennedy said she was sorry and I did dust that vamp before he did any harm, B."

"I know." Buffy's voice was hollow, emotion was gone, realization was slowly setting in. Memories of things that had never occurred started filling gaps in her mind. Dancing, kissing, no drinking, stolen glances, a first date and then another, a sneaky vampire... maybe a few of these memories had occured.

"You saved me Faith, you were..." She trailed off, still on the floor but now leaning against the frame of a sturdy bed. Buffy was thinking deep thoughts.

"I was by your side, Buffy. Nothin'll happen to my girl on my watch. _My girl._ There was a subtle happy glaze over Faith's voice, she had been moving slowly across the bed, cutting the distance in half with each word. A space was filled next to Buffy, hair was moved from her eyes, casually. The motions were natural, comfortable, ordinary. A touch that seemed old but newly remembered.

Buffy met Faith's hand at her own neck and let them rest entwined on her bare shoulder.

"That shook you up pretty bad, didn't it?" Faith spoke with a calmness that was surprising to Buffy. Faith thought of how close the vampire had been to taking a slayer.

"This... isn't right." Buffy said, still holding tight to Faith's hand, as if the dark woman would disappear. She could feel the familiar body shift, an arm found its way around her waist. A warm presence offering a gentle gesture.

"What's wrong?" A sultry voice, unnecessarily teasing that wasn't on purpose, a voice no longer tired but aware, and filled with an emotion Buffy didn't think Faith was capable of offering. Compassion. The voice became a distant thought as lips began tracing unheard words on her jawline.

"We never ended up this way... you weren't there to save me." The emotion is Buffy's voice was striking and thick. "I made you leave... I made you die... I never got to apologize."

Faith isn't listening though, apparitions don't need to. Their responses occur naturally, not depending on what was said now but on what had always been said. Faith's lips stop teasing Buffy's jaw, a kiss of surprising gentleness is placed there instead.

"You okay now?" Faith asked. Buffy turned her head to face Faith, which was a bit difficult in the dark. She ran a hand down the dark womans face, remembering the details. Buffy pressed her lips to Faith's. A familiar song filled the air, or just a mind. The song let light in from under a door, from everywhere. The white came again, and made Buffy it's prisoner once more.

_6._

There was a flicker of light, shadows crept across the walls, falling strangely, eerily. The air smelled of old leather, old paper... it was familiar. The light ran across the walls, showing books that looked to be forgotten, papers scattered haphazardly across an old desk, a man with a forgetful face looking at the flame.

"How I wish... to burn." He muttered in the light filled darkness. "How I wish to burn _you_..." His voice was low and filled with torment. His hands found paper, his eyes met words. _Cast aside views of past shadows, to keep faith would be to err; remove tired times and tried ways, leave behind that which has spread doubt and ways will return to that of long ago. _

A smile crept across his face, a smile revealing perfect, white teeth. The smile ended as soon as it started. A squeaky door hinge alerted him to the presence of another, and then he could feel _her._

"Buffy... what a pleasant surprise." He spoke to the darkness. "I assume Nora is feeling better?" There was no response for a moment.

"Uh... yeah. She's okay... how'd you...?" There was apprehension in her voice.

"Your perfume my dear," A lie. "It is different than I am used to. Please... have a seat." More light filled the room as a match moved from candle to candle.

"I was... hoping. Needing. To talk to you." Buffy took a breath, not yet realizing what was occurring.

"Of course. That is why you made the trip..." Buffy stepped from the shadows, light fell across her tired face, eyes that begged for sleep and a sad smile saying everything was not okay. "Mr. Cruz set you on your path, Nora showed you the way... both had problems that have been solved, but yours remains. Correct?"

She found her way to a leather lounge chair, that sighed as she sat down. "Yeah... you can say that."

"They said I could give you answers, that I _know_ things, things no one else could possibly know. They say, I know the future and what it holds." He stood and clasped his hands in a ball at the base of his back. The tall, wiry man with a face as forgettable as a dropped penny, softened his features and made the attempt to express compassion.

"They..." Buffy spoke softly, losing her nerve.

"They are not incorrect. I do know things, things of the future, things of the past. You would be surprised of how much I know... and also how little. I am unable to tell you your future without knowing of your past." He stood beside her now, looking down. "You should not fear me, you should, however, fear your past, fear everything in it for that is what will make your future. Tell me child, tell me why you came here." He knows why she came, he knows what sent her away and how it manipulates her. Her heart makes her decisions, her soul tells her what is right and what is wrong, her mind clouds her judgement.

"I," Buffy started... _remember this. _"need to know where..." She stopped, unwilling to go on. "Shaman... I...."

"In time." He paused. "Let me tell you a story... if you would care to listen?" Buffy nodded her head, not meeting his eyes but rather keeping them fixed on a square tile on the floor. "This happened long ago, when I was a child... I was only eight but remember it as if it were yesterday. I was skipping stones at the river bank, my Father had suggested I take our new neighbour with me. I didn't really like this boy, he came from Tokyo, he didn't fit in well with our small town... but Father suggested it anyways. See my Father and his father worked for the same company. I showed him which rocks to choose, how to hold it," He demonstrated and a voice in Buffy's mind called out to her. "and how to throw it. He laughed and went swimming. We spent all day there, I kept trying to show him how to skip stones and he just kept swimming, we started back for town when the sun was about to set. We came across a dog, this boy took a large rock and killed it without emotion, without a second thought, we heard it's master call for it. He ran, and so did I. I-"

"Faith." _Don't. _"I need to know about Faith." _Shut up!_

"Faith? As in religion? I'm afraid I don't know much about that... I am not a god-fearing man." Buffy was shaking her head.

"A person. She... is from my past..." No smile appeared on his face, but there was glee in his eyes. He turned from her and went back to his desk. Sitting in the high backed chair he sighed. Wind screamed by a window hidden with drapes.

"I trusted her... and then, now... I've been playing it over in my mind. I never got it right with her, so I got away... I heard you could help me know, help me know if I can trust her or if I can't." _Don't do it... don't... you know she's okay, you know she can be trusted! _"Shaman... please..."

"You may call me Cam... if you wish." He blocked his smile with his hands, and then smoothed back his hair. "What will occur next will seem... odd, and yet it is perfectly harmless and even more trivial. I will ask you to stand, to hold an orb in your hand." He took a key from around his neck and unlocked a drawer in his desk. Upon his desk he laid a white box, engraved on the top was a hand print. He laid his hand down and turned it. The box opened and he removed a black orb from a white cloth.

"Stand Buffy..." Buffy stood, her eyes were immediately drawn to the blackness, it was engulfing, it was soul stealing. "Tell me... please, everything about... one Faith Lehane." _I am a fool,_ Buffy thought as she watched herself go through the actions.

Starting with how they met, then the entire Sunnydale fiasco, then Los Angeles, jail and after. She told Shaman Cammoro everything she knew and felt about Faith. The grin across Cammoro's face was sickening.

"Thank you Buffy." He said as she finished her story. "That was very helpful." Her gaze remained on the black orb. "You love her, but you hate her too. You don't hate her much, but just enough to allow me to do my work. Thank you."

"...welcome..." Buffy spoke softly, eyes still on the orb. A voice in her mind called her a moron.

"I am going to bring your hate to the surface, please don't be alarmed. It is a very simple procedure..." He moved the orb and she groaned. "See, this orb is very special, it's caught your eye ... hasn't it? You want to keep looking at it, don't you?" She nodded slowly. "Then tell me you hate Faith." There was a very long pause as confusion played across her face. Only when he moved the orb did she say something.

"I... hate... Faith." She spoke each word as if doing a very bad impersonation of Bill Shatner.

"With more passion please, louder!"

"I hate Faith." He smiled broadly, repeated the mantra several times. Each time raising his voice louder and louder and raising his arms higher and higher.

"Louder!" He yelled at her.

"I hate her! I hate Faith! I hate her!" Buffy screamed and then became deafly silent, hands clenches in fists at her side.

"We now have work to do, I must rearrange somethings up in your head Buffy, terribly sorry and all... but these things must be done. Faith must be removed... Faith must be alone when I take her... she will burn... oh yes, she will burn."

"Burn..." Buffy muttered as she stared at the black orb, transfixed and completely unaware of the mistakes she making. _Was I this desperate, this blind?_ The voice in her mind said. _Wake up you goddamned bitch and do something. Wake up and stop him! _She did not wake up, she did not do something, she did not try and stop him. She left all that up to Faith. _What the hell is going on..._ The voice asked to anyone who would hear, the white heard.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** Uh... same old shit. I don't own this, never have never will... just havin' some fun. Don't hold it against me.

**AN:** Er, a bit late... so sorry. There has been some chaos in my life, but don't worry, there should be another update before December 1st. I'm still trying to work out some kinks in this story, if it can be called that. I will finish this goddamn fic... I will. I will assume that the last update wasn't as confusing? I also assume my explanation for Bitchy-Buffy was adequate, since, I don't think... anyone complained. If anyone is still lost after this, post a review and I'll explain it in the AN at the beginning of the next update. M'kay? A quick note... 'the white' is not god/God (I don't mean to offend) ... the whole 'faith/Faith' thing was a terrible play with words deal... this whole update works if you replace 'faith' with 'hope' or 'trust' or anything nice :) That's all. And finally, thank you all for reading, thank you for reviewing. We aren't close to being done yet, hopefully you will stick around and see how I end it...

_7._

_It was you_. The voice filled an empty space in the room, an empty mind ignored it and went on. The voice trailed off and found a resting place against a wall, next to a window, looking out into a dark abyss. At first glance it was so dark, dark enough to lose your soul without even noticing... but when you took the time to look at the spaces between, there was light, there was wind, there was rain. If you could see the rain, you knew that things were about to either get better or worse, more often then not, things got worse. She could see the rain, and it hurt. She could feel the wind, hard against her face, tossing her hair around as if it were weightless. She didn't move though, the wind was strong against her face, it was strangely relaxing, it was ... peaceful. Feeling the wind against her face reminded her of falling.

"Nice digs B." Faith muttered.

"Faith." A sigh.

"Jesus B, who died?" Faith asked obliviously. The motions set forth by a British man, a scared young leader, and an overeager witch were about to come to an end. The events set in place by beings much more powerful than any one could ever imagine were about to change.

"You did. I did. I don't know anymore." Buffy spoke with a confidence she had been lacking, she spoke with an understanding that had been long lost. The wind died down, the curtains that had been flapping madly now only shuddered silently, the rain fell in large drops on the balcony.

"You died Faith... and I don't..." A pause. "I don't know what to do. I caused it I know, I set it all in motion. I pushed you away, then I pushed you to hard, I left, I turned on you, I made you leave, I killed you!" Buffy sucked in a raspy breath, trying to ease the pain in her chest, ease the pain in her mind, in her soul. "Faith goddammit! I killed you! You're dead, and I killed you!" Buffy's hands went from sagging languidly at her side, to clutching her head.

"You... are responsible for a lot Buffy, but not this." Faith's voice was soft.

"What the hell does that mean?" Buffy ran her hands through her, trying to put something at ease. There was no answer that found her ears, there could be no answer to sooth her pains. "What does that mean...?" Buffy asked herself quietly now, only shaking a little when she sucked air into her lungs.

"What does this all mean? How can this mean anything, everything is so fucked up... I don't know what's real, I don't know what's right... how can I do this? I'm alone here, now... how can I do this alone...?" She stood in silence for a long time, her hands had become clasped in front of her mouth, she was breathing into them as if they were frozen. Her eyes were focused on a point on the ground. Her hair had fallen into a frame around her face.

The room remained hers, untouched from the day she had left. There was a bed to her right, nothing grandiose, a nightstand on both sides, a chair against a wall behind, an armoire and a long mirror the wall to her left. Windows covered by long curtains, French doors that opened to a balcony that overlooked grass and trees and hills for as far as you could see. There was also a man, sitting in the chair across from her bed, there was a woman with dark hair leaning against the door to the hall, another woman with her head resting on her hands on the floor next to the dark haired woman. Her face was unseen but the wad tissue next to her provided some insight into her feelings. The other two faces were like stone. The woman lying in the bed, strapped down, had her eyes closed and a peaceful look across her face. None of these people noticed the other blonde, standing in front of the doors to the balcony, staring at a spot on the floor. No, these people had much more to deal with then paying attention to a phantom, to a memory, to a lost soul.

After many moments of speculation as to how she fucked up as bad as she did, Buffy realized there was a simple answer to all her problems. There had always been a simple answer, something she had neglected to look for, or even ask for. The answer had been...

"Faith." A simple word, with two meanings. The faith that was lost would never be found, it could never be restored or rebuilt, the faith that was lost would remain in the cold hands of a dead demon, who had pulled that faith from a fragile slayer in a time of need. "Faith." New faith would have to be restored, earned and granted, given and taken for granted, held and let go in times of need.

"Yeah, B?" The silence after those two simple words was deafening. Buffy had heard no real voice for what felt like ages, many different worlds and outcomes had come before her and on almost every occasion she had changed nothing. She had let faith and Faith slip between her fingers like sand. A real voice, a hurting voice, came to her ears and for once she did not know how to answer. She had called out to a saviour, hoping to find one, never expecting to find Faith.

The white filled the door with a blinding brilliance, Buffy fell to her knees head in hands tears spilling from her eyes with no chance of stopping. A sobbing gasp struggled out of her throat as if releasing a demon. Tears flowed freely through her hands now, sobs racked her body and her mind went to no where. The white faded to reveal another standing before her, another through the door. A dark figure, curves, arms crossed below her breasts. There was no expression on this womans face, her eyes were trained on the sobbing woman across from her.

"Buffy get up. Make a choice."

"There is no choice!" A scream muffled by a stuffy and runny nose, dulled by a savage throat.

"There's always a choice!" Buffy's sobbing stopped almost immediately, tears still ran unchecked. She rose on shaky legs to look through the door. To look through a door that should have lead outside, to her balcony, to the storm. There was no rain now, no grass, no rolling hills, nothing but her, Faith and a choice.

One tentative step forward, and then another. Buffy stepped through the door and was blinded. The white had her, but this time, the white kept her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I don't own 'Buffy' or any of its characters. I really don't own what little 'Star Trek' I mentioned... and I totally don't own the slight mention of 'Star Wars'. Really. I'm not kidding.

**AN:** Have my readers suddenly stopped taking an interest? Oh well... I'll keep posting anyways, maybe one or two will keep reading. So hopefully it was obvious that I've ended the 'has Buffy learned her lesson' stories. We're now onto something that'll work like the 'first' chapter. Be calm, it works, I think. This is Dawn and Andrew... please forgive, as I reread this damn chapter over and over I can't quiet believe how... angst ridden? ... it is. Eh you'll see. I've been distracted, sorry... there may be an update before the weekend, if not, Saturday. Questions? Comments? ... a review? Anyone?

PS: Thanks for the reviews and the kind words... I give my thanks that you take the time.

1.

"The mood seems better... don't you think?" Andrew asked his voice muffled due to a cold voice.

"No." Dawn's voice was soft, there was no bouncing off walls, there was no excitement. They had been able to get sleep; lots of sleep, something that had been very hard now seemed very easy. No longer were they able to hear every sound in the castle, since there was no longer a need to listen for such trivial things. Andrew had brought the girls back, the weather had turned nasty, but that wasn't the reason. They had come back because the screaming had stopped.

"She's okay, you know. They are both okay." The tone in his voice didn't come across as believable.

"You don't know that." Her voice cut through him like a sharp knife. They only knew the details of one of the slayers, and she was as responsive as a stalk of celery. The two were standing at the main gate, standing in the rain looking through the heavy metal gates. They had been standing there for hours, soaked to the bone, waiting for the lights of Giles' car.

"Mr. Giles said they had a lead... the rumours, they sounded like it could have been Faith... like something she would turn to. The fight could have done anything to her."

"She's not like that... she wouldn't..." Dawn's mind put out the thoughts of Faith killing, of Faith murdering, of Faith running from them. Her mind went instead to a broken body, lying in a broken field, with empty black eyes staring up at an empty black sky. "She's dead... she died. The rumours…" Seeing the discomfort in her eyes, Andrew attempted to change the subject.

"The rain is getting worse." His hair, covered by the hood of a raincoat, was slick down the sides of his face. "Water-resistant my ass."

"You shouldn't have let go of the umbrella then." Dawn smirked; a smile was a rare thing.

"It wasn't my fault... the wind; the lack of it caught me off guard." His voice trailed off into a whine.

"There's no need to blame the wind... there's no room for blame." She stared back out into the rain, hoping to see the lights of a car but only seeing rain.

"Do you want to talk about this?" Andrew was trying to be helpful, supportive; everyone had questions that had been answered to the best of someone's knowledge. _Why? How? When?_ Everyone except for Dawn, she didn't ask any questions, she avoided them. She left the room when the meeting with the explanations came about. Andrew wasn't far behind, he followed out of concern. Rumours were just rumours after all.

"No." She replied quietly.

"Are you sure?"

"No." Even quieter.

"Dawn, you _need_ to talk about this." He pleaded. There was silence for a moment, then she spoke.

"She changed." _That was easy,_ he thought. "She did... but no one else did. She's wouldn't do those things... it's something else. Vampires... demons, assholes! Not Faith." She wasn't looking at him; she kept her sights on the road. Andrew was almost calm and partly composed. _Decomposed_, he thought, and then scolded himself for not paying attention to the person who needed help.

"Maybe she didn't."

"What?"

"Well, you know. It's like what happened with Riker... he was given an ultimate power and was seduced by that power... or, with Anakin... What I mean is just, she could of, uh. She could of just..." _Maybe Data would have been a better example_. He thought quickly as she interrupted him.

"_Could of just_ what? Switched sides again? She said she'd look out for me..." Dawn's voice broke on the last word. Her knees came into contact with the wet, muddy ground. Her hands, now in the form of fists, connected with the ground sending a spray of mud and water onto her jacket. She took a shaky breath attempting to calm her emotions before continuing. "When Buffy left... Faith fell into a bad place, a place of hopelessness. We all did. I think she was just more used to it. I think she was used to being let down... so this time it didn't hurt her so much, but it hurt me. What was I supposed to do? When your only family walks away from you, what are you supposed to do?"

Dawn traced doodles in the muddy water pooled in front of her. "She saw through it of course. Took her a while, her drunken haze had to wear off first." She paused for a moment and ran a hand over her face, clearing rain water from her eyes and spreading mud instead. Andrew stood beside her, his hands stuck firmly in the pockets of his coat, eyes trained on the young woman in the mud.

"We talked for a while... we drank for longer. I understand a few things now, see things a little different. I respected her, damn it, I respected her before. When she came back...from that night... being carried in by Giles... Willow's flushed face. I knew something was different then. I cried, I did, I cried then... I cried for her because goddamn she looked dead, and for what? This time I know she's dead, so why does it hurt so much?" A short pause, then a tiny voice whispered through the darkness. "Why did she have to die...?" Dawn still knelt on the ground.

"I don't know why... I know the rumours aren't true... but they give us something. The rumours say she is alive... but evil. Do we really want her gone?" His words hung in the air for a while, both could not believe them. Would they really prefer or want an evil-Faith over a dead-Faith? Their answers were the same.

"Dawn, look." Emotion was no longer evident in his voice.

"What? What is it?"

"Down the road. The lights." Dawn looked up; two bright lights were visible through the downpour. She stood up and the two opened the gate for the approaching car.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I don't own 'Buffy' and all it's ... er, subsets. I really don't own any part of Marvel... honestly, I just borrowed a couple names for a sentence. Please don't be mad.

**AN:** So... this is a day late, or maybe more... who knows. Things have been ... I won't say hectic but rather just busy. I haven't been able to find time in my evenings now to write for more than an hour... so this is slow going. It's going but slow... so to tide you over... I will post two mini-chapters. I know how you love these. They are so confusing and I think always make sense when you read the last one. But for a recap... Remember way back in **Chapter 1**, how that was split up into a few different perspectives about an event? **Chapter 6** started out like that too, that one was telling Dawn and Andrew's story. **Chapter 7** this one, is Xander's ... then Willow's and Kennedy's. I didn't bother splitting them up into separate chapters since that would have been smart and not insane.

Okay, back to explaining. **Chapter's 2 - 5 **was Buffy's little mind trip. That was sure fun wasn't it... so, what's happening right now is Giles and Temperance (my lovely custom character) heard some rumours and went to investigate... now I am writing the thoughts and actions of the rest of the group. I am playing with fire I think, I have to be very careful to keep everything in line and not miss something very, _very_ important to the story... and the continuity of said 'story'. Otherwise everything gets fucked up and I have to think very hard on how to fix it.

Now, before my AN turns into a story itself... I would just like to thank you, the reader, again, a lot. And how could I forget the reviewers. Thanks! So... what's left to say. Please, oh _please_, forgive the grammar and how bad is gets. I don't have a beta reader, and I do the best I can. And considering I forget almost everything I write I don't think I've done too horribly... oh well. It'd say this shitty story is about half done... maybe a little more, or a little less. The ending won't get here by X-mas, or even New Years. It will get here when it gets here. Oh and the next update... will be ... hmm, maybe next weekend. Maybe sooner, maybe later. Who knows!

Questions? Comments? Hate mail? Leave it in the reviews! Thanks again for reading...

2.

"Hey Buffy... Time for the routine. I tell you the news of the day and you… don't say anything. So here's a recap of the 'big thing'. Giles and Temp heard some rumours through the ex-watcher grapevine. There was a report about a ... and I quote badly, a 'dark mysterious figure' who 'was killing evil doers' and 'anyone who got in its way' just north of London. It was the 'dark mysteriousness' that caught our attention... We figured maybe something had happened to her. They left a few days ago... remember? I told you all about it."

Xander was sitting in the lounge chair across from Buffy's bed; they had loosened her restraints but hadn't removed them, just in case of relapse. Out of the people who had known her the longest, he was the one to stay the longest, to be around her the most. He continued to talk to her, he paced and her thought. He told her about the weather (which hadn't changed), about slaying reports, sports... entertainment. Anything.

"Goddamn," He muttered after a few moments of silent thought. "At least when you were awake you were screaming. This is almost worse. Not knowing. Can't you, just, twitch? Open your eyes and wink. Do something?" There was no response, no movement. There was only a content little grin on her lips, and slow breaths. His hands, now shaky, ran through his hair.

The chair sighed as he stood, the heavy rubber soles of his shoes thudded across the floor as he walked to the balcony doors. He pulled the curtains aside, and sighed. "The rain keeps on falling, it's only fair I suppose. Dawn and Andy are out there, I can't see them but I know they're there, waiting for Giles. For good news, or bad news. I don't really know which is which. Would it be a good thing if Faith was evil now?" _No_. He never answered the question aloud, and didn't dare admit he'd prefer her dead.

"Would it be better to hear that she is absolutely, honest and truly dead? What do you think now, Buffy? Would it be better if she was actually evil now?" He couldn't help his anger, even though it stayed beneath the surface, festering, most days. It did manage to sneak out every now and then. He imagined she would say something like; _I did what I had to do_. Or some other bullshit. Bullshit that could have been correct... could have been absolutely true.

"She was different..." Xander rested his hand on the wood moulding around the doors; he sighed deeply and closed his eyes. He tried to remember.

Buffy had left; she had been gone three days. Faith had taken a deep dive into a pool of misery topped off with depression and a chaser of whiskey. People were either wandering the halls, trying to find direction, or training, working out their pent up aggression. There were a few people who remained unaffected by Buffy's retreat (escape). Giles hadn't reacted strongly, he seemed to understand her need to leave and Kennedy was more concerned about Faith. Faith hadn't said a word to anyone, the looks she got remained unseen by her. After the first day, the drinking began. No one asked, no one dared. A few did dare to drink with her, mostly to watch out for her.

Xander still remembers a night, a night where she set down a forty at his finger tips and swore to him that there was an answer at the bottom, he just had to help her get there. Twenty ounces later, she smiled and told him.

"I'm here, Xander." The amount of alcohol over the time spent drinking set Xander equal to a major headache the next day, but no lost memories.

"You are," He closed his eyes to form words. "and looking _quite_ fine." She ignored him.

"I'm here, why isn't she?" Her voice was soft, her eyes were evasive, her strong posture was reduced that of to a shy teenagers, her ego gone, her brilliant terror turned to blinding fear.

"I'm Cyclops...no, I'm Nick Fury... and you can be..." Xander sighed as he let his head rest against the wall. His eyes closed and his breathing slowed.

"I'm no superhero, X."

Xander pulled his head up, and looked back at Buffy, who remained unmoved on her bed. "You hurt us when you left Buffy; you hurt us all real bad. Faith pulled us back together, she was better than she thought. Why couldn't you see that?" He didn't turn to face her, there was no need, she remained unchanged.

3.

"Yes... yes I understand. I don't see why you won't just tell me now..._alright_, tell Giles to drive safely. It's still raining here. See you in a few hours. Yes... goodbye..." Willow pressed the phone down in its cradle.

"They'll be here in a couple hours..."

"That's good right?" Kennedy asked as she shifted position to allow her girlfriend a spot next to her on a couch in Giles' library. The rain pounded on the tall glass windows, it hadn't let up in days. Willow didn't return as quickly as Kennedy would have liked. "What is it?"

"I'm just... thinking." Willow sighed and laid her hands on the desk with the phone. _Good-Faith, but dead. Evil-Faith but alive..._

"Deep thoughts?"

"The very best... you could say..." The conversation with Temperance had been less than great but not quite awful. They had information but that's all she would say. Willow hadn't spent enough time with her to be able to pick up any tells from her voice. Temperance, almost always, seemed to be happy... seemed to be thrilled. Even when talking about and explaining her sisters actions, Cammoro's plans, and Faith's heroics she smiled, not a goofy grin but just a small curve. "I couldn't tell... if Faith is alive... or if she's dead. No one seems to know, no one seems to want us to know."

Kennedy stretched her arm over the back of the couch and listened.

"She did so much for us... she _changed_ for us." Willow moved back to the couch and sat next to Kennedy. There was silence for a long time, only rain knocked against the windows. A couple girls walked in, grabbed a few books and then left just as quietly. No one wanted to make noise.

Kennedy sat quietly, unmoving, her mind was on the last few things she had said to Faith, wondering if she had said (done) something different the situation would be different now. Silently blaming herself for the divide between Buffy and Faith, especially when the group first got to Scotland, got settled in the castle. She figured if she had tried harder then, to not pick sides, things would be different now. The emotions played in her head, nothing played on her face. There was a sadness in her eyes as memories of their fearless leaders crossed her mind.

Willow now sat with her legs curled under her, with Kennedy's free arm wrapped around her shoulders. Willow sat thinking of that night, the night that was sworn to secrecy. The secret she had withheld from Kennedy, Buffy... Xander, everyone. Willow and Giles were the only ones within the castle who knew exactly what Faith was.

They were fifty kilometres from the castle; Giles had uncovered documents that suggested a very valuable book was buried with a very unremarkable man. This book would complete one of his numerous collections. Giles had recruited Faith since Buffy and she had another argument over 'group slaying techniques' and they had almost come to blows, again. Willow tagged along since she actually had a genuine curiosity about this new, old book. Buffy had forced two newer slayers to go along, as punishment. From the rumours of the castle, Willow learned that Buffy had taken a disliking to these particular girls since they had dared to follow Faith's lead instead of ... Buffy's. Petty as it was, no one argued when it meant two extra bodies to help with digging.

There were three graves in the cemetery of interest; they were looking for a man named Mathias Gerard. The research Giles had done on him had revealed not much of a past, he had died over three hundred years ago; Giles had been surprised when he had been informed the cemetery was still intact, albeit unused. After a few hours of trying to read weatherworn headstones, they had found three that could be the one they were looking for. One had _Mathias _etched, another had _Gerard_, the last was too worn to read but Faith had had a good feeling about it. Carla starting digging at _Gerard's_. A few headstones over, Giselle dug _Mathias'_. Willow bugged Faith; Giles supervised the digging efforts while setting up the lights.

The graveyard was small, they had brought along a portable generator that was capable of running the three lamps they brought for a few hours. Giles figured that would be enough time. Faith was making good time; she had taken to digging well, even with Willow acting awkward, trying not to ramble. Faith had been unable to detect anything _abnormal_, it was a cemetery that hadn't been used in a hundred years, a gardener stopped by a couple times a month, there were no flowers near any of the graves. No one seemed to worry; no one seemed to notice the fresh foot prints they walked over.

An hour later, Faith had picked up the pace, she had noticed this grave was dug deeper than the regular six feet; she made a note to ask Giles about that later. The grave was closer to eight feet deep. She winced as she slung soil out of the hole, her hands were bleeding.

"You want my gloves?" Willow asked harmlessly.

"No way Red, wouldn't help." The calluses caused by wooden stakes and leather banded knifes were rubbing away and no leather gloves would have stopped it. The air had a dank, humid coldness to it; it smelled like rotting leaves and rotting wood. The crack was loud as Faith's shovel made contact with the rotten coffin; she grinned and called out calmly.

"Red, go get Giles." There was a momentary pause.

"Yeah, okay." Willow's shovel made a thud on the ground, her shoes squished in the mud. Faith sighed and dropped the blade of her shovel hard on the wood lid; it broke easily and left a good sized hole. She dropped to her haunches and reached into the coffin and dug around. _Imagine... imagine what. I'm digging around in a – oh snap_.

"Got your book, G!" She shouted.

Willow had been walking back to Faith with Giles in tow; they were only ten feet from Faith's grave when they heard her shout. It was silenced by a gunshot and a pair of screams.

Giles had told Giselle to stop digging, as Willow informed him of Faith's discovery. Giselle was helping to pull the much shorter Carla from the grave she was digging. It wasn't difficult to get Carla out of the hole, but she did end up dirty; Carla was attempting to wipe dirt from her shirt when they both heard the splash of water and the click of a gun being cocked. The two caught each others eyes and turned to look over the grave. The gunshot was loud. A scream escaped the lips of Carla and a final breath from Giselle's. The bullet had caught her in the chest; she hit the ground hard. Stuck in shock, something that should never happen to a slayer, Carla was easily taken as a hostage. A gun pressed tightly against her temple. The gun was cocked again as they moved slowly to the now stationary Giles and Willow.

"I believe you has somethin' that my boss wants. He'll be wantin' that book, ya bastard." A vampire with a very nice revolver spoke very badly. She was pushed along, and nearly fell on several occasions, each time she was held in place. Blood speckled her shirt and face. "I know you has it!" The vampire called out less calmly when no one answered.

"What is the meaning of this?" Giles spoke calmly. Willow had shrunk back.

"You hard of hearing mate? Hand over the book and the bitch don't get plugged."

Faith, having heard all of the events, cursed herself for not checking everything out, for not doing what Buffy would have done. She cursed herself for failing, and getting another slayer killed. Faith, now thinking that there was nothing she would do to explain this now fucked up situation to Buffy jumped and grabbed the muddy ledge and pulled herself over.

"Hold on to the book, G." She said tossing it to him. "I'll take care of this fucker." Faith took the shovel Willow had dropped on the ground and snapped it in half with a quick movement of her boot. "Hey, Carla... you'll be alright." Faith spoke matter-of-factly, offering a small promise. "You piece of shit, you're fight isn't with her. You'll fight the Slayer."

"A slayer? You? But you're so small!" He laughed, his hand bunched tighter in Carla's hair. She was flung forward and a gunshot took her life. Faith, now having failed to keep her promise, acted without thinking and charged the vampire. He got one shot off before she broke his neck.

"Goddamn that hurts." Faith fell to her knees; the bullet had ripped through the right side of her abdomen.

"Hey boss! What's the holdup?" A voice called out from the darkness. "What's all this!" The same voice declared. It belonged to a vampire, who was soon joined by eleven others. Faith's eyebrows rose as she looked around_. Goddamn I'm dumb_. She thought as she watched them move closer. Faith pulled the combat knife Angel had given her from her boot; the hand that had been covering her slow healing wound ran across her forehead.

"Come on then." She smiled wickedly, knowing that on a good day she could dust them all without a helluva lot of a trouble, but today... today would be fun. "Red, G, get safe!" She yelled, but both remained unable to move. The only weapons they had brought were tools, shovels. Objects they could have used had they been closer. The lack of functional weapons was oversight they would never allow to happen again.

Faith charged the vampires, taking two out with one quick motion. The next six fell easily enough. A dodge here, kick, stomp, stab stab stab. The sting in Faith's shoulder was an unpleasant surprise; she let out a small shout of pain. In the moment that she had lost her focus another sting pierced through her back, dangerously close to where the bullet had exited. Now fuelled by anger caused by her own actions, she dropped the knife down in a crescent, taking two more down. Breathing heavily and harshly, vision blurred by rage and adrenaline, she tried to re-examine the situation. One or two. She thought and then ahead of her, an answer.

He advanced on her; even wounded she was too quick for him. A little jab and it was all over. She drew a shaky breath in and felt a pain that hadn't been there in a very long time. Her heart was loud in her ears, there was a noise, but she couldn't quite figure out what it had been. Then, an instant later, she knew she had miscounted, knew she had forgotten one. A dull thud on her back knocked the air from her lungs, it was a reminder of her arrogance, a sharp pain ripped through her as if her insides had revolted and decided that outside would be better. Someone, who had very little experience with such a heavy weapon, had done something very bad.

"Shit." Faith breathed as she fell forward drawing upon what diminishing strength she had left to brace for contact. She did, but it made no difference.

"Faith!" Willow screamed, a bright blinding light filled the area, a vampire became dust and a life slipped further away. Willow moved quickly to Faith's side and knelt, moved stray hair gently yet quickly from the fallen girls face. Faith was slowly repositioned to be more comfortable before death.

"Giles..." Faith let a single word escape her bloodied lips. Willow cursed gently over and over, rocking the dead girl on her lap.

"_Giles_," Willow stuttered softly. "Do something... goddamnit, do _something_." Faith's eyes were dark, staring up at Willow but seeing nothing. The artificial lights casted eerie shadows that seemed to fall too long; darkness seemed to creep closer to the two on the ground. Giles stepped slower than he should have; knowing it was too late, knowing there would be nothing left for them to do. He tried to say something poignant, something respectful in such a damned situation; he made excuses.

"There was no activity..." Willow caught only pieces of the sentences he spoke. "Nothing new for a hundred years... There is no value of the book... no powers..." Giles knelt and pressed two fingers to Faith's wrist, there was nothing to be found. He ran his finger tips gently across Faith's eyelids and spoke.

"Willow..."

"No, Giles... she can't die like _this_. Out numbered... alone... Buffy's not here. We were just having fun, out for an adventure, right?" In the course of the evening three slayers had fallen through the cracks of the universe, a very unexpected turn of events. Of the three slayers, one was chosen, one was chosen again to stand and make a difference for the world, again. In a moment one slayer was given a choice.

No tears found their way from Willow's eyes, crying would have seemed cliché; Faith would have laughed or have told her to cry from someone worth crying about. Willow knew crying would come later; after all, you need to understand situations first before you can justify crying over them. The air was heavy, fog had started to roll in; it slowly made its way around tombstones and trees. Giles' eyes looked for Giselle, who was barely visible, he looked for Carla, who was close, and finally he found Faith again. He spoke words that no soul remembers and at the end of his sentence, the universe took control once again.

Faith gasped for a living breath, which hurt her more than any knife ever would. She coughed harshly and couldn't seem to stop. Willow now let tears fall and had no words. Giles cleaned his glasses, hoping for something in this world to just make sense for one moment. Faith's voice shook them badly.

"We need to go back…" Faith, having never been one for explanations, spoke carefully, she spoke quietly. Blood slid slowly from a corner of her mouth; her eyes were still black, her wounds bleeding slowly, bruises starting an outline. Faith said no more she just clenched her teeth and tried not to die.

Giles knelt and lifted her as gently as he could, he had noticed the other girls… and the fact they were no longer on the ground. They had disappeared. As Giles carried Faith, Willow regained some composure and rushed to the generator. She left the lights in the dark.

The drive was bumpy and fast. Faith lay in the back seat, no longer bleeding, not yet healing, not quite in danger of dying but no one knew for sure. Willow was in the passenger seat staring out into the darkness passing by, attempting to make sense out of the unexplainable.

"Ken…" Willow whispered barely above a breath. Almost two hours had gone by; the two had sat there in silence, anchoring each other to a shitty reality.

"Yeah?" Her response was equally as quiet.

"Do you remember that night Giselle and Carla died…? When Faith got hurt?" There was a long pause. The topic of _that night_ was brought up once and never again. No one was sure if Buffy believed what Giles and Willow had explained, no one had dared to ask her what she believed. Faith didn't talk about it.

"Yeah, that's hard to forget. I don't think I know enough to forget it all…" A pause. "Why?"

"The rumours, the ones Giles and Temperance went to look at… they won't be true." Willow spoke with certainty even though she was quiet, but Kennedy wasn't convinced.

"As much as I want to believe that…"

"Faith took responsibility for her actions. All of them. She died that night…" Willow didn't look at Kennedy as her words trailed off, but she feel the involuntary twitch and she could hear the sigh.

"I know. She uh, she told me that… she was looking for forgiveness I think. I happened to be there, although… I think she was waiting for someone else." Neither responded with the appropriate name they both knew. While Faith had been recovering Buffy had checked on her almost hourly, she was there for her but she had never offered any form of forgiveness.

The two women sat in awkward silence, which was soon broken by a single ring of the telephone. It only rang once, that was the code. _Ring it once to let us know you're here… please don't argue. We need to prepare a little bit…_

"They're here." Kennedy whispered.

"I'll go get Xander… he… he needs to be here." Willow left quickly and Kennedy sat alone. She thought. _She's right. But an evil-Faith might be better than a dead-Faith… maybe._


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I own... nothing! Not 'Buffy' and not 'Marvel'. I am just borrowing them... for a while. But they aren't mine... No Sir/Ma'am.

**AN:** Wow... so, yeah. It's been a while hasn't it. Bet you all forgot about me, or not. Maybe you just started thinking I gave this up... I can understand why. I kinda wrote myself out of ideas. See... I get all my good ideas from my dreams (obviously, otherwise this story and it's prequel wouldn't be SO fucked up) and I haven't been remembering anything decent lately. I've got a bad idea I'm working with but it's slow going... so patience is much appreciated. As is reviews :)

Okay... I apologize for the delay, work had been insane lately. A lot of it. I hope you my dear readers keep interest in this fucked story... even though updating will be sporadic from now on. I can't promise an update weekly... but I will try for one every weekend... or every other weekend.

I hope everyone had a happy x-mas/whatever you celebrate and a safe new years... Thanks for continuing to read this into the New Year. Oh, and I apologize for how rushed this chapter will seem... I couldn't quite get it right but hopefully there aren't too many glaring continuity errors.

Due remember, this is all... fiction. Heh. I'm trying real hard to make sure things from 'Voices' carry over smoothly to this one... and what not. Read. Review. Curse me. Whatever you please. Thanks again for reading.

_4._

"Well, that could have gone worse." Temperance spoke gently, a small inadvertent smile on her lips. There was no immediate response from Giles. His face was tied, dark circles were slowly waging a war under his eyes and his frown lines were becoming more noticeable.

"I had a feeling this would happen. When I read your letter to, uh, me and then thought about the selfless acts that occurred in that hellish field… Your Faith would not have turned to this, to those actions." She continued with her thoughts but Giles didn't listen. In his mind the back seat of his car was not empty; there lay a broken slayer, a dying slayer, all because of a stupid book. The stains washed away easily enough, the smell of death had disappeared with the help of powerful cleaners and deodorizers. The memories of the other two dying so quickly, of Faith's fight, they would never leave.

The rumours on the news about a 'dark, mysterious figure' were a hoax, a ploy to get viewers watching the local news station and to force people to become terrified of their neighbourhood. A ploy to get donations for more video cameras mounted on walls around corners, on street lamps… Giles nevertheless tried some of the shadier bars that housed some of the shadier demons, to no luck. He had built a network though; more and more beings would now keep their eyes open for her.

"For her to live on in such a way would… would be a disgrace." She finished and recorded a few notes in her journal.

_I doubt _they_ would allow it._ Giles thought. The trust between the two friends in the car was immense but he had given his world to Faith and there would be no going back on it.

"Those fuckers came out of nowhere, G. Why couldn't I…"Faith's voice was strained, tears hid in her eyes as Willow cleaned the larger wound on her back. "I can't believe…" She winced sharply as a fresh cloth doused in disinfectant was dabbed gently. Willow whispered an ignored apology. "I got them killed…"

_We mustn't let her fall, we must keep her strong._ Giles thought all while trying to figure out what to say. "It wasn't your fault, Faith." A lame attempt. _Who's was it then?_

"That's what Carla said…" Faith's voice caught, and Willow stared Giles' look of confusion. "They gave me a choice, a goddamn _choice_." As Faith struggled with her words Willow slowly bandaged the cut across Faith's back, which had stopped bleeding but had also stopped healing. "They uh, told me I could die or go back and fix _things_." Faith slowly rolled herself to a sitting position, trying not to disturb the bandages too much, the others turned to give her privacy. She groaned as she pulled a tee-shirt on. Giles and Willow turned back at the sounds she made, casting looks of concern.

"It's cold in here," Faith looked down and smirked, trying to ease the tension.

"Obviously." Willow blushed and Giles ignored the comment.

"I don't know what they meant G, they told me…" Faith's voice was filled with confusion. The answers she had been given where exactly the sort you expected from the Powers That Be. Her death, at that moment in time, had been unexpected. Errors now filled the future time-line, and the Powers acted quickly. They forced upon her a decision that had one answer presented in many ways. The details in her mind were now fuzzy at best but a few words stuck: _Choice, power _and _death_.

"Who, Faith? Who told you?" Giles interrupted quickly.

"Xander… Angel… You. The robe-guys." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh…" Willow started to piece the more unexplainable events of the night together. Giles nodded.

"They said something about 'being needed', I guess there's a demon coming our way that a single slayer can't handle…but it's hard to remember exactly." Faith's brow furrowed, her hands were unable to neither sit still nor find what they were looking for. She couldn't remember what happened to her knife, or to Giselle and Carla _after_ the meeting in the smoke.

"Relax, Faith. We'll figure it out."

"I'm their fuckin' bitch now." She spoke loudly in disgust. "Whatever they need done, I do. I'm going to hurt for a while…I'm sure of it. The next few days should be the worst." She paused for a moment and shook her head. Her normally bouncy hair was knotted and barely moved.

"They warned me, letting two extra souls in is a painful process. Room needs to be made… When that's done… then I have to finish the job, if they can ever get their shit together. I don't know if they _know_ yet… Shit, this shit hurts my head."

"What do you mean?" Willow asked when Giles said nothing. He had his elbow resting on his hand, the other hand across his mouth. He was deep in thought.

"I uh, 'acted outside my standard parameters' or some shit. I did something that wasn't … _seen_. I fucked the universe up." She laughed and winced at the pain in her abdomen. "See, if I told Xander I was like the Phoenix, he'd understand. I think this has to stay between us now, since I fuckin' let it slip. _They'd_ flip a nut fixing more of my problems. So swear," The two nodded. "and say the goddamn words." She shouted, unsure of the sincerity in their actions. She had been living day to day with their trust, taking it as it came. _One day… I'll be told to leave…_ Those were her thoughts as soon as she had set her escape bag in her closet, and those thoughts stayed with her.

"We swear, Faith." They both said in unison.

"Alright." She paused, considering how to phrase her new secret. "My power's been upped. I'm faster, stronger, tougher and more…" She paused to think of a word. "_Durable_, than any other slayer. I've got two others in me, so I should be... I'm a goddamn super-slayer." There was silence after her explanation; a sad smile remained on her face as she stared at a spot on the floor. A voice, unheard to all except Faith, spoke very quietly with very simple instructions. The voice reminded her of before, of when Buffy told her things would be different, the voice reminded of her of so many times when she was let down. Her sad smile didn't fade away as she moved.

Faith had set her feet on the ground, or at least it looked that way to begin with, she had actually set her feet two feet off the ground, her back appeared to be ramrod straight. Her arms were out to side, palms up; she was looking to the ceiling with eyes glazed over white. A bright beautiful white. The grey tee-shirt she had pulled on was becoming stained with blood as her wounds reopened. The light in her eyes lasted only for a moment. Faith's feet rested gently on the floor. As soon as the connection was made, her knees buckled and she seemed to fall in slow motion. Her eyes closed when her knees made contact with the stone floor, she wobbled for only a second, and then tipped sideways. Giles had moved fairly quickly to catch her before her head would make a connection with the floor. He moved her to the gurney. Willow applied pressure to the most severe wound, which wasn't healing as fast as it should have. Giles took a shaky breath and went to find Xander so they could locate Buffy and inform her of the situation.

"It cleared a few things up." Giles spoke calmly. The roads were wet; the rain was ahead of them. There was only a couple hours left until they reached the castle, the quick trip in a memory had made the time pass quickly.

"Did it really?"

"No…" He shook his head gently. "I suppose not." She smiled. "If you wouldn't mind calling the library, Willow kindly demanded that we let them know when we are a couple hours away." He sighed. "And when we arrive, as well."

"Of course." She chuckled.

They caught up with the rain soon after the phone call, the rain started out light but soon progressed to the level of 'mad-windshield-wipers'. The rain got worse as they got closer to the castle. Giles never pulled the car over; a few times he slowed the car to a crawl but only around sharp curves. They were greeted at the gates by Andrew and Dawn who eagerly accepted a ride to the garage. They were silent.

Once in the library, everyone received the news they already knew. Faith was indeed dead.

"Well?" Xander asked. No one had dared to start the conversation once every one was there. The drip-drip-drip off Andrew and Dawn's coats had stopped but they stood in puddles. Temperance was recording the conversation in her journal, Willow sat quietly across from Kennedy, who was pacing.

"The rumours showed to be false." There was an audible sigh. Kennedy turned from the group and looked towards a window; it was being pelted with rain.

"So she's dead then. That's it?" All eyes trained on her back, she had gotten used to the feeling, the feeling of being stared (glared) at. The feeling of having all eyes on her, of being watched at every second and judged just as quick. She had been placed as the leader for the near future, a role she thought she could fill but knew she couldn't. The respect she had for Faith and Buffy had grown immensely as the pressures of being the leader slowly grew.

"No. That is 'not it'. Your plan when Buffy first arrived was to go and located Faith. Correct?" Kennedy made no indication of acknowledgement. "Those plans were interrupted. I feel that you should lead a team… or-"

"Good idea, Giles." Kennedy spoke slowly, calculatingly.

"A day in a car," A small chuckle. "for nothing. You're the man, Giles." Xander smiled. "I'll go over it right now; you drive like an old man."

"Mr. Giles," Andrew started. "Some, well… most of the girls have asked for your assistance in weapons training." He would have mouthed a 'sorry' to Kennedy if she would have turned around.

"Yes… yes of course. I'll take a look the lesson plan… if there aren't any further concerns. Excuse me then." Temperance, having said nothing, excused herself shortly after.

Kennedy stood in silence, her back still to her girlfriend, still to Andrew and Dawn. The three remaining left her to her thoughts. The thoughts were deep and troubling. Confusing and desperate. She stood in silence, alone for hours.

The rain hadn't stopped for a second, it was far too early for anyone to be awake and if they were they were not aware of what was going to happen. Kennedy had made a quick trip to the room she shared with Willow, grabbed her duffel bag and left a note on her pillow. She looked at the sleeping woman for a few moments, and then left quietly and quickly for the garage.

It was dark, the faint smell of engine oil, diesel and grease reminded her of _before_, when things weren't so simple but things weren't so hard either. The rain hammered on the windows, the room would fill with light as lightning struck. A silhouette appeared briefly against one of the cars, it appeared only for a moment as dull light filled the room.

"Xander…" Kennedy whispered in the dark. "How long have you been waiting?"

He chuckled. "Had to run once, thought I missed yah for sure. I knew it would be _you_, there was something in your voice… there was something when you agreed with Giles. The tone, Faith had it too." _Past tense,_ she thinks, _he thinks she's dead._ "I'm ready for an adventure."

"You got the keys?" He patted his pockets and muttered an 'uh-oh'. Kennedy sighed and dropped her bag to the ground. It thudded noticeably.

"One of you… forgot to lift the keys from Rupert." A woman's voice in the dark startled the slayer and the man. "I'm going along. If you're going to find your friend, you'll need me."

"Fucks sake… anyone else in the dark?" Kennedy asked more loudly. There was no reply. "Yeah, fine. Whatever."

"I'll drive. I know the way." Temperance unlocked and started the car as Xander pulled the garage doors open. The trio left as quietly as they could. No one followed them the next morning.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** Let it be known that I own nothing... I'm just having fun. Don't sue.

**AN:** I can understand why you'd want to. My apologies. I've noticed I have a terrible habit of jumping from the story to a flashback without notifying you the Reader. I don't know why... I just thought a break in the story/chapter would be bad. Sorry.

I will quickly explain. In 3.1 Andrew and Dawn's chapter, there was no flashback. In 3.2 Xander was talking with Buffy, there was a flashback to him getting hammered with Faith. In 3.3 Willow and Kennedy's chapter, Willow remembers the night Faith died (I think I first mentioned _that_ night in _Voices for Words_ but didn't explain it). She pretty much remembers everything, I had fun with that chapter. In 3.4 Giles and my created-character, Temperance (who I now know is very annoying...) are returning to the castle. Giles flashes back to Faith in the infirmary, when the secret of her new Powers is revealed. Also in 3.4 the group comes together for a moment and tries to figure out what to do about Faith... which leads into Kennedy, Xander and Temperance leaving. Just know, I will not be writing that adventure... somethings are best left unsaid. Now in 3.5 which is this chapter, it is a flashback. All of it. I needed it to be included since I believe I hinted at this situation earlier in this story, or even in _Voices_.

I am sorry for how backwards this all is, but I am afraid this is the only way I can write. Lame. I know. We have not quite gotten to Faith and her adventures, but they will be here soon. There will not be any flashbacks there, so don't worry. Hopefully this little explanation makes sense... hopefully you, the readers, keep following. The next chapter (a whole new part of the story) should be up by Sunday... maybe. Oh, and forgive my spelling and grammatical errors... I am cursed yah see.

5.

"Faith?" Buffy spoke really quiet, she stood in the door way. Her hands were joined in front of her, her breathing was fast and choppy, her hair was wild and knotted like she had run the whole way, her jeans were wet to the knees, her shoes had left a muddy trail half way to the infirmary, she now stood in a growing puddle of water. Buffy was shaking, fear racked her mind and adrenaline flowed through her veins. There was no response from her fallen comrade, the fallen girl, the fallen slayer.

Faith rested with a grimace on her face, her brow was furrowed harshly, jaw clenched tightly. Willow had bandaged what seemed like every part of her body. Bandages seemed to hold Faith together. Buffy couldn't understand why Faith wasn't healing, why she didn't respond to her name.

"Faith." Now more of a sigh than a name. Buffy carefully moved a chair near to Faith. She made extra sure to not drag the only chair (stool) she could find, as it would have made noise, a horrible noise. She sat very quietly and listened. There was a drip-drip-drip from her shoes that lasted only a few minutes, her heart thudded loudly in her ears which never went away. To a non-slayer Faith made no audible noise, Buffy could hear every thing though.

Faith's breaths were sharp and short, like _something_ had taken something very heavy and smashed it over her back. Her heart beat fast, as if she was afraid, or had just run five miles with something chasing her. Buffy thought she could hear the voices, it was very faint, but it sounded like two people fighting. No, chanting. Each encouraging someone, begging them to fight harder. Buffy frowned and thought nothing of it.

"They didn't tell me anything." She didn't look at Faith's face, her makeup gone, bruises along her jaw, down her neck, continuing lower beneath her shirt. "Giles just said there had been an accident." She chuckled and was immediately ashamed.

"I don't mean that. We were training, and I could feel it. Something bad had happened." Buffy shivered as a nervous chill ran over her, she let her eyes wander to Faith's hands. They had been wrapped; blood was slowly staining the palms of her hands.

"Why aren't you healing…?" Her words caught in her throat, her mind went to bad things. _She's dying. You let her die. You let them all die. What were you thinking?_

"Five… by five, B." Faith's words came quickly through clenched teeth and sent Buffy off her stool. She swore.

"Fucking hell, Faith." Buffy put her hand near her throat. "You scared me."

"Sorry." Faith gave a throaty response that was truthful and only slightly flirty, most of which was lost on the blonde.

"For what?" Buffy asked flatly.

"B." Faith responded very slowly, swallowing and wincing between words. "Seriously?"

"Yes… tell me what you're sorry for." Faith didn't reply. _A lot,_ she thought. The anger in Buffy's voice was intentional. She walked away for a moment, there was a loud slam as a plastic first aid kit came to a stop on the tile counter. There was swearing as she fiddled with the latches and heavy, angry foot steps back. Faith's blanket was removed gently from her torso, she shivered. Blood had saturated the bandages, it was evident though Faith's shirt.

"Oh, god…" Buffy tried to be silent. She slowly unravelled the wrapping on Faith's right hand; she removed the gauze and grimaced.

"Had to dig, B. Easy as pie."

"You'll be fine, just focus on healing. On calming down." _I'll do the same._ Buffy slowly reapplied the bandages to both Faith's hands, noticing that her heart beat had increased. "Faith really, calm down…"

"Kinda hard, B."

"Just… breath, I guess."

"You're not helping." Faith breathed sharply again.

"Want me to leave?" Buffy asked casually, but not wanting an answer. _Of course I'm not helping… she probably thinks I want her dead… _

"What?" Pain ripped through Faith's body, the battle being waged inside was wreaking havoc on every injury. Having two extra slayers trying to find space in a body built for one slayer was a painful task.

"Faith!" Concerned now filled Buffy's voice as Faith screamed through her pain. Faith refused to cry in front of Buffy and her strong will and determination succeeded. Tears did not fall from her eyes. They rolled back in her head as she finally relaxed, as she passed out.

"I won't leave Faith…" Buffy sat next to Faith, and did as she said. For the next week Buffy made hourly appearances during the day. At night, she slept on the gurney next to Faith's. After a week, Faith was more or less better and things went back to the old ways much too quick for either girls liking. A few weeks later Buffy broke her promise and left.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing of 'Buffy' and it's universe. Good thing too.

**AN**: My apologies, readers. Things have been shaky in real life. Writing time I have not been able to locate, so what I've been able to churn out is pretty much drivel and not up to my normally high standards. Wait, you may be asking yourself, _she had high standards about her work?_ Alas, yes. I've rewritten this chapter at least three times and this is the best I can get it. Mig is a brand new character who I briefly mentioned in _Voices for Words_ (in the chapter called _The Dance_ I believe... I could be wrong). I think he's a pretty dull guy but kinda important. Please, don't freak out. I know my characters suck... but there is one more. Someone (people) need to save Faith and obviously Buffy isn't up to the task. Duh.

So yeah, this chapter occurs in the past. When Faith was still holed up with Temperance... way, way back. Just giving some bad (very bad) back story, since I obviously love boring you (to death).

Just warning you... I've hit a tough point in the story. I'm finding it hard to continue, so please... please, be patient. Updates will be slow, but you've continued this far, how could you not want to see how I end it?

Thanks again for reading, and a special thank you to those kind enough to review. Until next time... (PS: Forgive my spelling/continuity errors)

5.

"'nother shot there, Mig?" The bar was unusually crowed, the new girl in town had drawn a crowd for the fourth night in a row. The sort of crowd that came out at night here was very excited and yet very scared at the thought of meeting (or being in the presence of) a slayer. What made the crowd so large, was the fact no being would die at her hand tonight, unless otherwise provoked.

"Yeah," He spoke loudly to get over the noise. "Why not." Mig was just over four hundred years old and he did not look a day over twenty-seven. He had gotten over his thirst for alcohol many years back, now, it all tasted the same. He had also lost his taste for shouting and speaking in general. All the words he had said in the past had just caused someone or other pain, grief or a great deal of trouble. So when he spoke, he spoke with great care and forethought. His actions on the other hand, had not changed with time. He was as reckless as the day he was turned. His eyes though, sharp as ever. He had known of the deception brewing in the small town for far longer than he cared to admit, Temperance was not who she seemed.

He had danced with Temperance, who he knew as Dessa, earlier in the night when dancing was an option (much to his chagrin); he was taller than her by more than a foot. When the kegs were tapped, he lent a hand, only pretending to use effort. He was seen by all but only remembered by a few. The folk in this town tried to remember as little as possible about the drifters, it normally caused them less harm if someone came looking. There were men looking for Mig, but they were far, far away and would not find him yet. Oh, they would find him… but he had a job to do first.

The man known as Mig feared only a chisel during the daylight and perhaps the occasional barbarian invasion. He was unable to walk in the daylight and took minor comfort in the company of vampires and other demons.  
"Drink up!" A man (a very drunk man) only recently known to Mig set four shots of a tar like substance on the table. "This is the best there is." Mig tossed back the first one, it tasted roughly like cough syrup. Even though he had lost his appetite for alcohol, he did indulge when it was needed. The man who had set the drinks downed the rest and promptly fell over the table. Dessa hurried over with a few stronger men and went about cleaning up.

"Hey Mig, sorry about this. It's getting' pretty rowdy, isn't it?" He nodded slowly, he remained in his chair. His eyes followed the trail of people, all offering beer or whiskey to the slayer, who seemed to be entertaining everyone with a re-enactment, of what, Mig never found out. Dessa's eyes followed his gaze; she smiled when she saw Faith.

"The crowd will go in a few hours. If you offer her a … a Budweiser, she'll be more than happy to talk with you. I've got a case in the back cooler. They'll be ready for you." He nodded again and thought_. Traitor. _

He had been informed about the 'double agent' by a very reliable source. They were not to strike until the end… their souls depended upon that single fact. All their problems could be solved at this moment if he acted, but Mig was bound by an oath he swore to keep. There was a time when she would die… there was a being who had to be saved and an evil that had to be destroyed. There were plans that had to work perfectly. There was no room for error.

The crowd got larger as the night went on, the dark girl's smile got more radiant with each retold story but her eyes showed Mig something different. Where there should have been life, a sparkle, there was nothing. Her eyes remained dark, calm. There was no emotion there.

A few hours later, around three in the morning, the crowd had been reduced to a few regulars, Mig and Faith. Her words had become strained but still remained clear as she bid farewell to a demon who sauntered away. Mig set a bottle of Budweiser in front of her and sat on the stool to her left. The beer tasted foul in his mouth but she sighed, almost happily, when she drank it.

"I'd trade all your fancy stouts and shit for this good ol' American beer." Mig didn't reply. "I suppose you want to shake my hand and tell me what an honour it is. I suppose you want to make me feel like royal-fucking-ty."

"No." He said simply. "I've heard quite enough of your stories." He made an attempt to drink his beer, she laughed at him.

"Me too, goddamn. I should have been dusting this whole damn place. What kind of Slayer am I?" She finished her beer in a single sip and sighed again. He figured she asked rhetorically, but then wondered if she knew what that meant. The bar emptied quickly, and Dessa was no where to be seen.

"What did you want then?" Faith asked with exhaustion and hesitation crept slowly into her voice.

"For you to hear my story." He set his unfinished beer in front of her. "This tastes like horse piss." She laughed and ran her hands through the hair.

"Be warned, I probably won't remember this tomorrow." She didn't lie to him, but she did feel bad for telling the truth. It, the truth, did not come naturally to the darker slayer. The amount of alcohol she had consumed that night was nothing short of huge, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was with _what _she had been drinking. Mixing beer, vodka, whiskey and whatever other shot and glass was set in front of her, would make her memories very hazy the next day. The same combination had been used once before, that night ended very badly with a slayer walking out of her life. The memories would remain, as she would recall the events later.

"I hope that's true. What you need to remember will be my honesty. Do try to remember this: I can be trusted." He smiled as he spoke; some of words would remain lost in her memories. She would never be able to tell him exactly what he told her that night, but deep down she would remember his honesty, that he could be trusted. She would remember his smile, and the nasty chip on his left canine.

"Yeah, right. Tell your story before I pass out." She waved him on, her patience dwindling.

"My name in Mig. My real name is Mathias Garthside the Third. Though, I have had many a name since birth. At the time of my death I was twenty-seven, that was four hundred years ago. I am, was, the son of a poor blacksmith who was raised a day's walk from London. My curse is now my life. I am cursed to live by the night and be forever forgotten. You may think I am a vampire but no. I courted a young woman, the granddaughter of a very powerful witch. I left her, which in turn killed her. The grandmother took my life in trade. I am, in simple terms: a very handsome gargoyle." Faith chuckled.

"That was the shortest story I've ever heard."

"You need to know more? You have my origins, my curse? You won't remember any more. You won't remember this." He stood.

"That's all I get?"

"What more could you possible want?" He started at her, his glare unintentionally cruel. "In time, Faith. The sun will be up long before I finish telling you my entire life's story. You understand, of course?"

"Yeah." She nodded and he quickly left. Faith was left alone for only a moment, her thoughts ran madly in circles ending no where and continuing forever.

"Have a good conversation? He's a pretty dull guy. Nice though." Dessa asked as she appeared from the kitchen. Faith chuckled as she was shaken from her madness.

"Yeah. I uh, gotta crash. Unless you need help?" Faith asked. Noticing that the offer was insincere, Dessa said no. Faith slipped away and passed out when her head hit the pillow. Her dreams were frightening.

The next day, she remembered everything of her conversation with Mig (and tried to forget it), and remembered nothing of the other conversations she had had during the night (and tried desperately to remember). The next evening Mig met with his reliable source, both had succeeded at their tasks. The two moved to their final destination and prepared for the night that would, hopefully, change everything.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Allow me to re-emphasize that. I OWN NOTHING.

**A/N**: Okay, wow... months later... Sorry 'bout that. Things have been VERY hectic in my personal life. A lot to do with money, jobs ... etc. I have no forgotten this, it's just been put on the back-burner. I'm a few chapters ahead so that's good news, the bad news is... I seem to have ... uh ... *cough* lost my place. In the story yunno. Can't quite remember where it was supposed to go... but I have a plan. And an ending written. It's pretty sweet, and will change. Okay patient readers... what ever is left of you. Hopefully there is one left. Here goes nothing. PS: Here enters ANOTHER custom character. I love them so much. Mig and Lillian... :( I hope nothing bad happens to them... since I've treated Temperance and Dessa ... and Giselle and Carla ... oh so nicely.

Oh and for those who are getting annoyed (if there are any) with how little Faith there has been thus far... don't worry. She's right around the corner... and gloomy :(

Read on, and maybe review? Lemme know how badly I'm doing.

6

There was a gentle breeze which caused lace curtains to shudder, but only slightly. The window opened onto a sunset, clouds hung low and wispy around the sun, red poured across the land. A fading light filled a room that housed one dying soul, and an oil-lantern that would be lit at an appropriate time. The wind cooled the room effectively. Dark clouds hung in a spot far west of the stone house, the observers noted that it hadn't seemed to move in days.

A young woman with shorter, wavy hair entered quietly. Her eyes moved from the red sky to the bed. Faith, at least that was who they hoped it was, resided in the bed. They, Mig and the woman, had pulled her from a terrible fire that ravaged at least seven acres land, and only those acres. The woman had bandaged Faith to the extent that caused her to look like a mummy from some movie she had seen, at least from the neck down. An hour later the bandages proved useless, the woman had healed, but had not awoken. Not that awaking was likely. She, the woman, had removed Faith's burnt clothes and cleaned every wound on her ravaged body. She, the woman, had noted three peculiar holes on Faith's back, very tiny and very deep.

"A needle… shot from a pistol. Goddamn Dessa, she shot that girl three times. One, one shot would, should, have been enough! Mig… Mig, I don't know what will happen to her now…" She remembers saying and asking, hoping the Powers would give her a clue… an answer. None came from them.

"We wait and see. They've taken an interest. I am here… and you are alive, obviously _they_ won't let her die. Yet." Mig answered cautiously. The woman nodded. Their conversation had occurred hours after their return, there had been no improvement from their guest.

The woman's hands run through her hair, she tries to put the thoughts of water and drowning out of her mind, she tries to focus on the woman in front of her. She should have been able to; her saviour was here… the woman who had been deemed important enough for the Power's to change a course of action was in front of her, and all she could think about was her own death.

"It was death… I am dead." She said, and then thought. _I will be when my work is done…_

Faith lay motionless, slightly propped up in bed (only slightly); her hair glistened in the fading light, her skin was pale, but still smooth and beautiful. No makeup was on her face, but one would not have been able to tell, she was _preserved_ in time. A small grin remained on her face, a grin that should have been only a little part devious and a large part happy, but her grin suggested something very bad was occurring in her mind and this was her body's way of showing it. The woman had noticed that immediately, there was a wrinkle in Faith's brow that suggested that theory.

The woman knew she had a few more moments of silence, the sun was setting quickly and then Mig would grace her presence, and Faith never said anything. She took the time to reflect on the tough questions. _Why me? Is it because it was _my_ family?_ All her answers never suited the questions asked; she always came back to the same place, like her mind wasn't able to give up the solution. Every day since awaking wet, cold and sputtering she tried to remember what happened. She closed her eyes and desperately tried to remember again.

There was shouting, it was muffled. A deep voice commanded many. Smoke filled the air, and soon her lungs. Her wrists were chained together tightly behind her back. Heavy weights fitted to her ankles. Vague voices speaking unintelligible words. On good days, she wouldn't remember the crack her neck made as a tall, dark figure broke it swiftly. On bad days, she could remember that and the water that filled her lungs soon after.

As she was lost in memories, the sun had set. Mig was released from his curse once more and he stretched stiffly. Four-hundred years and he hadn't found a position that didn't leave him sore. Noticing that all the lights in the small house were off, he walked carefully, creeping though the shadows. It was something he had grown accustomed to. He had tried to remain as unnoticeable as possible for as long as possible. Hiding in the shadows worked well. He had been forced to break cover when he was offered a job. He had been forced to resurface to a world that housed many people that wanted him dead and would now be able to find him, all for a job. A job he now regretted taking.

Mig made his way to the room where they kept Faith._ Prisoner._ He wanted to call her that but couldn't, fearing the word and the implications it might have. He saw his friend's silhouette in the window.

"I didn't get a chance to tell you this morning… but I heard some rumours." He spoke normally; he knew he would not be able to wake Faith.

"Do tell." The woman spoke gently, not at all surprised by his sudden presence.

"One Rupert Giles and one Temperance Kane were spotted in a sleazy demon bar just north of London." She flinched at the name of her sister, it was involuntary, and still, after hearing her name daily for months, it was something she had not gotten used to.

"Why?" She asked quietly,

"They are looking for the Slayer… a Slayer. Faith."

"Can we expect company? Will they track her here?"

"Not unless the Power's want them here… and it seems that they don't. Given our roles."

"Which is what, exactly? I don't think I was ever given a job description. Yunno, all I got was a name, a date, time and place. And you." She grinned in the dark.

"I say thank you kindly for the mention." He bowed slightly. "You know that's all I got as well." He paused. His eyes wandered to the dark figure in the only comfortable bed in the house. "I think… they don't want her to wake up alone. Can you imagine? If she woke up in that burnt field… alone?"

The woman thought and was reminded immediately of how she awoke. Twenty feet below surface, which chains holding her down. Water filling her lungs. Her neck hurt insanely, and then… a white light engulfed her. The weights dropped from her legs and she kicked with all she could. Her first breath of air was half water, and the second resulted in painful coughing. She tread water for what seemed like hours trying to regain composure, eventually she was able to make it to shore, by the guiding hand of someone of great Power she assumed. She left Cape Town as fast as she could. A week later she was in Scotland, tracking Mig.

"Lillian?" He asked quietly. _Maximilian Kane the Fifth. That is who I am. Now pay attention girl._ "Hey, you alright?" _Focus Lilly, come on now._

"Yeah, sorry. Bad memory."

"You remember anything more?" She had given him some basic information about her demise, and the events preceding it. She gave as much as he did.

"No. Nothing new. There's no chance of them finding us?"

"I won't lie and say there's none. But it is unlikely." There was a pause. "How are your hands?"

The topic of her burns was one that was broached gently. She had forgotten her gloves on the table before they left, they were running late and the event was something they could not afford to miss. They had pulled Faith from the fire a moment later then they should have. The fires had gotten very hot, they had taken measures to protect themselves and Faith (who seemed to be doing just fine avoiding any fire damage) but Lillian received burns to her hands.

"Healing, I think. I deserved it, I shouldn't have forgotten."

"Come on, I'll make supper. What'll you have?"

"Surprise me." Lillian, otherwise known as Maximilian Kane the Fifth, last born to a Father who swore that whatever the gender of the child would be named _Maximilian Kane_ … middle name of the mother's choosing, was never surprised of the turn of events. Mig and Lillian ate whiskey that night.

Faith lay in silence, as she had done for the previous six nights. She looked to be at peace; almost everything about her suggested that very thing. It was wrong. Faith was not at peace, Lillian had seen that. The smile on her lips in conjunction with the small wrinkle in her brow showed that Faith was dealing with Hell. Faith was trying to wake up. Faith was trying to find a way out of the darkness once again.


End file.
